THE  ROUGH  RIDERS 


BY 


THEODORE   ROOSEVELT 

COLONEL  OF  THE  FIRST  UNITED  STATES  VOLUNTEER  CAVALRY 


ILLUSTRATED 


CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 
NEW   YORK   1905 


£72 


Copyright,  1899,  ty 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons 


TROW   DIRECTORY 
NEW  YORK 


Chaplain  Brown  Preaching  to  the  Regiment. 


ON  BEHALF  OF  THE  ROUGH  RIDERS 

I  DEDICATE  THIS  BOOK 
TO  THE  OFFICERS  AND  MEN  OF  THE 

FIVE  REGULAR  REGIMENTS 

WHICH  TOGETHER  WITH  MINE  MADE  UP  THE 

CAVALRY  DIVISION  AT  SANTIAGO 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

EXECUTIVE  MANSION 
ALBANY,    N.  Y.,    MAY    1 

1899 


241211 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I.     RAISING   THE   REGIMENT i 

II.     TO    CUBA 39 

III.  GENERAL     YOUNG'S     FIGHT    AT     LAS 

GUASIMAS 73 

IV.  THE   CAVALRY   AT   SANTIAGO     .     .     .113 
V.     IN   THE   TRENCHES 160 

VI.     THE    RETURN   HOME 199 

APPENDICES  : 

A.  Muster-Out  Roll 238 

B.  Colonel  Roosevelt's  Report  to  the  Secretary  of 

War  of  September  loth 270 

C.  The   "Round  Robin"   Letter      .....  280 

D.  Corrections 284 

E 299 

F.                                         312 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt      ....  Frontispiece 

From  Photograph  by  Rockwood.) 

FACING 
PAGE 

Colonel  Leonard  Wood    ......       6 

Regimental  Drill  of  the  Rough   Riders  at  San  Antonio, 

Texas 8 

-'Captain  Bucky  O'Neill 16 

Captain  Allyn  Capron      .          .          „          .          .          .16 
Five  Bronco-Busters  ......     26 

Troop  K,   Rough  Riders  .          .         .         .         •     34 

Colonel  Roosevelt 38 

(Drawing  by  C.  D.   Gibson.) 

Chaplain  Brown  Preaching  to  the  Regiment          .          •      54 
Troop  H,  shortly  after  Arrival  at  Tampa  .          .  56 

Scene    on    the    Dock    at    Port    Tampa   on    the   Day   of 

Sailing  of  the  Transports   .          .          .          .          .60 

Transport    No.     8 — Yucatan,    with     Rough     Riders    on 

Board,   off  for  Cuba 64 

General   View   of  the   Landing   at   Daiquiri — Transports 

in  the  Offing  .......      7° 

ix 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PAGE 

Another  View  of  the  Landing  at  Daiquiri  .          .  72 

Rough  Riders*    Camp  at  Daiquiri        .          .          .  76 

Brigadier- General  S.   B.   M.   Young    .          .          .          .80 

Opening  at  Side  of  Road    through  which  Left  Flank  of 

Rough  Riders  Deployed 88 

Hamilton  Fish,  Jr.,  First  Sergeant,  Troop  L  94 

Major  Brodie  .......      96 

Camp  of  the   Rough  Riders  after  the  Guasimas  Fight    .    104 

Helping  a    Wounded    Rough    Rider    to    the    Rear   after 

the  Guasimas  Fight  .          .          .          .          .          .106 

The  Spot  where  Seven  Rough  Riders  were  Buried  after 

the  First  Day's  Fight  at  Las  Guasimas         .          .108 

General  Sumner,  who  Commanded  the  Cavalry  Division 

During  the  San  Juan  Fight          .          .          .          .116 

Rough  Riders  Fording  the  San  Juan  River  while  moving 

to  the  Front    .          .          .          .          .          .          .120 

Little  Texas — Colonel  Roosevelt's  War  Horse     .          .128 
^"Charge  of  the  Rough   Riders  at  San  Juan  Hill     .          .132 

(From  the  Painting  by  Frederic  Remington.} 

View  from   San  Juan  Hill  of  first  Hill  and  Block-house 

Captured  on  the  First  of  July     .          .          .          .    1 40 

Lieutenants    J.    Mcllhenny,    Horace    K.    Devereux,    S. 

Coleman,  W.  E.   Dame 146 

x 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING 
PAGE 


Men    Recommended    for    Promotion    for    Gallantry    in 

Action     .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .152 

Captain  Woodbury   Kane  .....    I54\ 

William  Pollock  (Pawnee  Indian)  .  .  .  .154 
Rough  Riders  in  the  Trenches.  .  .  .  .162 

Colonel  Roosevelt  and  Rough  Riders  at  the  Point  where 

they  Charged  over  the  Hill  at  San  Juan       .          .168 

View   of  San  Juan   Hill  and    Block-house,   showing  the 

Camp  of  the  United  States  Forces       .          .          .    1 80 

A  Consultation  at  General  Wheeler's  Head-quarters      .  188 

Bomb-proofs  behind  the  Main  Trenches  before  Santiago  190 

Sergeant  Guitilias,   a  Veteran  of  the  Civil  War    .          .  194 

Trooper  Morrison,   formerly  a  Baptist  Minister     .          .  194 

Colonel  Roosevelt  Visiting  Colonel  Turner,  of  the  First 

Illinois  Regiment,  U.   S.    V 196 

The  Rough  Riders  at  Camp  Wikoff .  .  .  .220 
Sergeant  Darnell  Rides  the  Third  Cavalry  Bucker  .  226 
McGinty  on  a  Bronco  .  .  .  .  .  .  226 

Color-Sergeant  A.   P.   Wright 228 

Colonel  Roosevelt's  Farewell  to  the  Rough  Riders        .    234 

***  The  design  on  the  front  cover  is  a  fac-simile  of  the  bronze 
medal  struck  for  each  member  of  the  regiment. 

xi 


Hark  !    I  hear  the  tramp  of  thousands. 

And  of  armed  men  the  hum  ; 
Lo  !    a  nation's  hosts  have  gathered 
Round  the  quick-alarming  drum- 
Saying,  "  Come, 
Freemen,  come  ! 
Ere  your  heritage  be  wasted,"  said  the  quick-alarming  dium 

"  Let  me  of  my  heart  take  counsel  •• 

War  is  not  of  Life  the  sum  ; 
Who  shall  stay  and  reap  the  harvest 
When  the  autumn  days  shall  come?" 
But  the  drum 
Echoed,  "  Come  ! 

Death  shall  reap  the  braver  harvest,"  said  the  solemn-sound- 
ing  drum. 

"  But  when  won  the  coming  battle, 
What  of  profit  springs  therefrom? 
What  if  conquest,  subjugation, 
Even  greater  ills  become?" 
But  the  drum 
Answered,  "  Come  ! 

You  must  do  the  sum  to  prove  it,"  said  the  Yankee-answer 
ing  drum* 

—BRET  HARTE, 


Colonel  Leonard  Wood. 


THE    ROUGH    RIDERS 


RAISING  THE  REGIMENT 

DURING  the  year  preceding  the  outbreak  of 
the  Spanish  War  I  was  Assistant  Secre 
tary  of  the  Navy.  While  my  party  was  in  oppo 
sition,  I  had  preached,  with  all  the  fervor  and  zeal 
I  possessed,  our  duty  to  intervene  in  Cuba,  and 
to  take  this  opportunity  of  driving  the  Spaniard 
from  the  Western  World.  Now  that  my  party 
had  come  to  power,  I  felt  it  incumbent  on  me, 
by  word  and  deed,  to  do  all  I  could  to  secure  the 
carrying  out  of  the  policy  in  which  I  so  heartily 
believed;  and  from  the  beginning  I  had  deter 
mined  that,  if  a  war  came,  somehow  or  other,  I 
was  going  to  the  front. 

Meanwhile,  there  was  any  amount  of  work  at 
hand  in  getting  ready  the  navy,  and  to  this  I  de 
voted  myself. 

Naturally,  when  one  is  intensely  interested  in  a 
certain  cause,  the  tendency  is  to  associate  particu- 


ROUGH   RIDERS 


larly  with  those  who  take  the  same  view.  A 
large  number  of  my  friends  felt  very  differently 
from  the  way  I  felt,  and  looked  upon  the  possi 
bility  of  war  with  sincere  horror.  But  I  found 
plenty  of  sympathizers,  especially  in  the  navy,  the 
army,  and  the  Senate  Committee  on  Foreign  Af 
fairs.  Commodore  Dewey,  Captain  Evans,  Cap 
tain  Brownson,  Captain  Davis  —  with  these  and 
the  various  other  naval  officers  on  duty  at  Wash 
ington  I  used  to  hold  long  consultations,  during 
which  we  went  over  and  over,  not  only  every 
question  of  naval  administration,  but  specifically 
everything  necessary  to  do  in  order  to  put  the 
navy  in  trim  to  strike  quick  and  hard  if,  as  we 
believed  would  be  the  case,  we  went  to  war  with 
Spain.  Sending  an  ample  quantity  of  ammunition 
to  the  Asiatic  squadron  and  providing  it  with  coal  ; 
getting  the  battle-ships  and  the  armored  cruisers 
on  the  Atlantic  into  one  squadron,  both  to  train 
them  in  manoeuvring  together,  and  to  have  them 
ready  to  sail  against  either  the  Cuban  or  the  Span 
ish  coasts  ;  gathering  the  torpedo-boats  into  a  flo 
tilla  for  practice  ;  securing  ample  target  exercise, 
so  conducted  as  to  raise  the  standard  of  our  marks 
manship  ;  gathering  in  the  small  ships  from  Eu 
ropean  and  South  American  waters;  settling  on 
the  number  and  kind  of  craft  needed  as  auxiliary 
cruisers  —  every  one  of  these  points  was  threshed 

2 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

over  in  conversations  with  officers  who  were  pres 
ent  in  Washington,  or  in  correspondence  with  of 
ficers  who,  like  Captain  Mahan,  were  absent. 

As  for  the  Senators,  of  course  Senator  Lodge 
and  I  felt  precisely  alike ;  for  to  fight  in  such  a 
cause  and  with  such  an  enemy  was  merely  to  carry 
out  the  doctrines  we  had  both  of  us  preached  for 
many  years.  Senator  Davis,  Senator  Proctor, 
Senator  Foraker,  Senator  Chandler,  Senator  Mor 
gan,  Senator  Frye,  and  a  number  of  others  also 
took  just  the  right  ground ;  and  I  saw  a  great  deal 
of  them,  as  well  as  of  many  members  of  the  House, 
particularly  those  from  the  West,  where  the  feel 
ing  for  war  was  strongest. 

Naval  officers  came  and  went,  and  Senators 
were  only  in  the  city  while  the  Senate  was  in  ses 
sion  ;  but  there  was  one  friend  who  was  steadily 
in  Washington.  This  was  an  army  surgeon,  Dr. 
Leonard  Wood.  I  only  met  him  after  I  entered 
the  navy  department,  but  we  soon  found  that  we 
had  kindred  tastes  and  kindred  principles.  He 
had  served  in  General  Miles's  inconceivably  har 
assing  campaigns  against  the  Apaches,  where  he 
had  displayed  such  courage  that  he  won  that  most 
coveted  of  distinctions — the  Medal  of  Honor; 
such  extraordinary  physical  strength  and  endur 
ance  that  he  grew  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the 
two  or  three  white  men  who  could  stand  fatigue 

3 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

and  hardship  as  well  as  an  Apache;  and  such 
judgment  that  toward  the  close  of  the  campaigns 
he  was  given,  though  a  surgeon,  the  actual  com 
mand  of  more  than  one  expedition  against  the 
bands  of  renegade  Indians.  Like  so  many  of  the 
gallant  fighters  with  whom  it  was  later  my  good 
fortune  to  serve,  he  combined,  in  a  very  high  de 
gree,  the  qualities  of  entire  manliness  with  entire 
uprightness  and  cleanliness  of  character.  It  was 
a  pleasure  to  deal  with  a  man  of  high  ideals,  who 
scorned  everything  mean  and  base,  and  who  also 
possessed  those  robust  and  hardy  qualities  of  body 
and  mind,  fo<*  the  lack  of  which  no  merely  nega 
tive  virtue  can  ever  atone.  He  was  by  nature  a 
soldier  of  the  highest  type,  and,  like  most  natural 
soldiers,  he  was,  of  course,  born  with  a  keen  long 
ing  for  adventure ;  and,  though  an  excellent  doc 
tor,  what  he  really  desired  was  the  chance  to  lead 
men  in  some  kind  of  hazard.  To  every  possibil 
ity  of  such  adventure  he  paid  quick  attention. 
For  instance,  he  had  a  great  desire  to  get  me  to 
go  with  him  on  an  expedition  into  the  Klondike 
in  mid-winter,  at  the  time  when  it  was  thought 
that  a  relief  party  would  have  to  be  sent  there  to 
help  the  starving  miners. 

In  the  summer  he  and  I  took  long  walks  to 
gether  through  the  beautiful  broken  country  sur 
rounding  Washington.  In  winter  we  sometime? 

4 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

varied  these  walks  by  kicking  a  foot-ball  in  an. 
empty  lot,  or,  on  the  rare  occasions  when  there 
was  enough  snow,  by  trying  a  couple  of  sets  of 
skis  or  snow-skates,  which  had  been  sent  me  from 
Canada. 

But  always  on  our  way  out  to  and  back  from 
these  walks  and  sport,  there  was  one  topic  to 
which,  in  our  talking,  we  returned,  and  that  was 
the  possible  war  with  Spain.  We  both  felt  very 
strongly  that  such  a  war  would  be  as  righteous  as 
it  would  be  advantageous  to  the  honor  and  the 
interests  of  the  nation ;  and  after  the  blowing  up 
of  the  Maine,  we  felt  that  it  was  inevitable.  We 
then  at  once  began  to  try  to  see  that  we  had  our 
share  in  it.  The  President  and  my  own  chief, 
Secretary  Long,  were  very  firm  against  my  going, 
but  they  said  that  if  I  was  bent  upon  going  they 
would  help  me.  Wood  was  the  medical  adviser 
of  both  the  President  and  the  Secretary  of  War, 
and  could  count  upon  their  friendship.  So  we 
started  with  the  odds  in  our  favor. 

At  first  we  had  great  difficulty  in  knowing  ex 
actly  what  to  try  for.  We  could  go  on  the  staff 
of  any  one  of  several  Generals,  but  we  much  pre 
ferred  to  go  in  the  line.  Wood  hoped  he  might 
get  a  commission  in  his  native  State  of  Massachu 
setts  ;  but  in  Massachusetts,  as  in  every  other  State, 
it  proved  there  were  ten  men  who  wanted  to  go 

5 


THE   ROUGH-  RIDERS 

to  the  war  for  every  chance  to  go.  Then  we 
thought  we  might  get  positions  as  field-officers 
under  an  old  friend  of  mine,  Colonel — now  Gen 
eral — Francis  V.  Greene,  of  New  York,  the  Col 
onel  of  the  Seventy-first ;  but  again  there  were  no 
vacancies. 

Our  doubts  were  resolved  when  Congress  au' 
thorized  the  raising  of  three  cavalry  regiments 
from  among  the  wild  riders  and  riflemen  of  the 
Rockies  and  the  Great  Plains.  During  Wood's 
service  in  the  Southwest  he  had  commanded  not 
only  regulars  and  Indian  scouts,  but  also  white 
frontiersmen.  In  the  Northwest  I  had  spent  much 
of  my  time,  for  many  years,  either  on  my  ranch 
or  in  long  hunting  trips,  and  had  lived  and  worked 
for  months  together  with  the  cow-boy  and  the 
mountain  hunter,  faring  in  every  way  precisely  as 
they  did. 

Secretary  Alger  offered  me  the  command  of 
one  of  these  regiments.  If  I  had  taken  it,  being 
entirely  inexperienced  in  military  work,  I  should 
not  have  known  how  to  get  it  equipped  most 
rapidly,  for  I  should  have  spent  valuable  weeks 
in  learning  its  needs,  with  the  result  that  I  should 
have  missed  the  Santiago  campaign,  and  might 
not  even  have  had  the  consolation  prize  of  going 
to  Porto  Rico.  Fortunately,  I  was  wise  enough 
to  tell  the  Secretary  that  while  T  believed  I  could 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

learn  to  command  the  regiment  in  a  month,  yet 
that  it  was  just  this  very  month  which  I  could 
not  afford  to  spare,  and  that  therefore  I  would  be 
quite  content  to  go  as  Lieutenant-Colonel,  if  he 
would  make  Wood  Colonel. 

This  was  entirely  satisfactory  to  both  the  Presi 
dent  and  Secretary,  and,  accordingly,  Wood  and 
I  were  speedily  commissioned  as  Colonel  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  First  United  States 
Volunteer  Cavalry.  This  was  the  official  title 
of  the  regiment,  but  for  some  reason  or  other 
the  public  promptly  christened  us  the  "  Rough 
Riders."  At  first  we  fought  against  the  use  of 
the  term,  but  to  no  purpose ;  and  when  finally 
the  Generals  of  Division  and  Brigade  began  to 
write  in  formal  communications  about  our  regi 
ment  as  the  "  Rough  Riders,"  we  adopted  the 
term  ourselves. 

The  mustering-places  for  the  regiment  were 
appointed  in  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Oklahoma, 
and  Indian  Territory.  The  difficulty  in  organiz 
ing  was  not  in  selecting,  but  in  rejecting  men. 
Within  a  day  or  two  after  it  was  announced  that 
we  were  to  raise  the  regiment,  we  were  literally 
deluged  with  applications  from  every  quarter  of 
the  Union.  Without  the  slightest  trouble,  so  far 
as  men  went,  we  could  have  raised  a  brigade  or 
even  a  division.  The  difficulty  lay  in  arming, 

7 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

equipping,  mounting,  and  disciplining  the  men 
we  selected.  Hundreds  of  regiments  were  being 
called  into  existence  by  the  National  Govern 
ment,  and  each  regiment  was  sure  to  have  innu 
merable  wants  to  be  satisfied.  To  a  man  who 
knew  the  ground  as  Wood  did,  and  who  was 
entirely  aware  of  our  national  unpreparedness,  it 
was  evident  that  the  ordnance  and  quartermaster's 
bureaus  could  not  meet,  for  some  time  to  come, 
one-tenth  of  the  demands  that  would  be  made 
upon  them ;  and  it  was  all-important  to  get  in  first 
with  our  demands.  Thanks  to  his  knowledge  of 
the  situation  and  promptness,  we  immediately  put 
in  our  requisitions  for  the  articles  indispensable 
for  the  equipment  of  the  regiment;  and  then,  by 
ceaseless  worrying  of  excellent  bureaucrats,  who 
had  no  idea  how  to  do  things  quickly  or  how  to 
meet  an  emergency,  we  succeeded  in  getting  our 
rifles,  cartridges,  revolvers,  clothing,  shelter-tents, 
and  horse  gear  just  in  time  to  enable  us  to  go 
on  the  Santiago  expedition.  Some  of  the  State 
troops,  who  were  already  organized  as  National 
Guards,  were,  of  course,  ready,  after  a  fashion, 
when  the  war  broke  out ;  but  no  other  regiment 
which  had  our  work  to  do  was  able  to  do  it  in 
anything  like  as  quick  time,  and  therefore  no 
other  volunteer  regiment  saw  anything  like  the 
fighting  which  we  did. 

8 


Regimental  Drill  of  the  Rougl; 


Colonel  Wood. 

Riders  at  San  Antonio,  Texas. 


Lieutenant-Colonel  Roosevelt. 


\ 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

Wood  thoroughly  realized  what  the  Ordnance 
Department  failed  to  realize,  namely  the  inestima 
ble  advantage  of  smokeless  powder;  and,  more 
over,  he  was  bent  upon  our  having  the  weapons 
of  the  regulars,  for  this  meant  that  we  would  be 
brigaded  with  them,  and  it  was  evident  that  they 
would  do  the  bulk  of  the  fighting  if  the  war  were 
short.  Accordingly,  by  acting  with  the  utmost 
vigor  and  promptness,  he  succeeded  in  getting 
our  regiment  armed  with  the  Krag-Jorgensen 
carbine  used  by  the  regular  cavalry. 

It  was  impossible  to  take  any  of  the  numerous 
companies  which  were  proffered  to  us  from  the 
various  States.  The  only  organized  bodies  we 
were  at  liberty  to  accept  were  those  from  the  four 
Territories.  But  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  num 
ber  of  men  originally  allotted  to  us,  780,  was 
speedily  raised  to  1,000,  we  were  given  a  chance 
to  accept  quite  a  number  of  eager  volunteers  who 
did  not  come  from  the  Territories,  but  who  pos 
sessed  precisely  the  same  temper  that  distin 
guished  our  Southwestern  recruits,  and  whose 
presence  materially  benefited  the  regiment. 
t  We  drew  recruits  from  Harvard,  Yale,  Prince 
ton,  and  many  another  college ;  from  clubs  like 
the  Somerset,  of  Boston,  and  Knickerbocker,  of 
New  York ;  and  from  among  the  men  who  be 
longed  neither  to  club  nor  to  college,  but  in 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

whose  veins  the  blood  stirred  with  the  same 
impulse  which  once  sent  the  Vikings  over  sea. 
Four  of  the  policemen  who  had  served  under  me, 
while  I  was  President  of  the  New  York  Police 
Board,  insisted  on  coming — two  of  them  to  die, 
the  other  two  to  return  unhurt  after  honorable 
and  dangerous  service.  It  seemed  to  me  that 
almost  every  friend  I  had  in  every  State  had  some 
one  acquaintance  who  was  bound  to  go  with  the 
Rough  Riders,  and  for  whom  I  had  to  make  a 
place.  Thomas  Nelson  Page,  General  Fitzhugh 
Lee,  Congressman  Odell  of  New  York,  Senator 
Morgan ;  for  each  of  these,  and  for  many  others, 
I  eventually  consented  to  accept  some  one  or  two 
recruits,  of  course  only  after  a  most  rigid  exami 
nation  into  their  physical  capacity,  and  after  they 
had  shown  that  they  knew  how  to  ride  and  shoot. 
I  may  add  that  in  no  case  was  I  disappointed  in 
the  men  thus  taken. 

Harvard  being  my  own  college,  I  had  such  a 
swarm  of  applications  from  it  that  I  could  not 
take  one  in  ten.     What  particularly  pleased  me 
not  only  in  the  Harvard  but  the  Yale  and  Prince 
ton  men,  and,  indeed,  in  these  recruits  from  the 
older  States  generally,  was  that  they  did  not  ask 
for  commissions.     With  hardly  aji  exception  they 
entered  upon  their  duties  as  troopers  in  the  spirit 
which  they  held  to  the  end,  merely  endeavoring 

10 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

to  show  that  no  work  could  be  too  hard,  too  dis 
agreeable,  or  too  dangerous  for  them  to  perform, 
and  neither  asking  nor  receiving  any  reward  in 
the  way  of  promotion  or  consideration.  The 
Harvard  contingent  was  practically  raised  by  Guy 
Murchie,  of  Maine.  He  saw  all  the  fighting  and 
did  his  duty  with  the  utmost  gallantry,  and  then 
left  the  service  as  he  had  entered  it,  a  trooper, 
entirely  satisfied  to  have  done  his  duty — and  no 
man  did  it  better.  So  it  was  with  Dudley  Dean, 
perhaps  the  best  quarterback  who  ever  played  on 
a  Harvard  Eleven ;  and  so  with  Bob  Wrenn,  a 
quarterback  whose  feats  rivalled  those  of  Dean's, 
and  who,  in  addition,  was  the  champion  tennis 
player  of  America,  and  had,  on  two  different 
years,  saved  this  championship  from  going  to  an 
Englishman.  So  it  was  with  Yale  men  like 
Waller,  the  high  jumper,  and  Garrison  and 
Girard ;  and  with  Princeton  men  like  Devereux 
and  Channing,  the  foot-ball  players ;  with  Larned, 
the  tennis  player;  with  Craig  Wadsworth,  the 
steeple-chase  rider;  with  Joe  Stevens,  the  crack 
polo  player;  with  Hamilton  Fish,  the  ex-captain 
of  the  Columbia  crew,  and  with  scores  of  others 
whose  names  are  quite  as  worthy  of  mention  as 
any  of  those  I  have  given.  Indeed,  they  all 
sought  entry  into  the  ranks  of  the  Rough  Riders 
as  eagerly  as  if  it  meant  something  widely  differ- 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

ent  from  hard  work,  rough  fare,  and  the  possi 
bility  of  death ;  and  the  reason  why  they  turned 
out  to  be  such  good  soldiers  lay  largely  in  the  fact 
that  they  were  men  who  had  thoroughly  counted 
the  cost  before  entering,  and  who  went  into  the 
regiment  because  they  believed  that  this  offered 
their  best  chance  for  seeing  hard  and  dangerous 
service.  Mason  Mitchell,  of  New  York,  who  had 
been  a  chief  of  scouts  in  the  Riel  Rebellion, 
travelled  all  the  way  to  San  Antonio  to  enlist; 
and  others  came  there  from  distances  as  great. 

Some  of  them  made  appeals  to  me  which  I 
could  not  possibly  resist.  Woodbury  Kane  had 
been  a  close  friend  of  mine  at  Harvard.  During 
the  eighteen  years  that  had  passed  since  my  grad 
uation  I  had  seen  very  little  of  him,  though,  being 
always  interested  in  sport,  I  occasionally  met  him 
on  the  hunting  field,  had  seen  him  on  the  deck  of 
the  Defender  when  she  vanquished  the  Valkyrie, 
and  knew  the  part  he  had  played  on  the  Navajoe, 
when,  in  her  most  important  race,  that  otherwise 
unlucky  yacht  vanquished  her  opponent,  the 
Prince  of  Wales's  Britannia.  When  the  war  was 
on,  Kane  felt  it  his  duty  to  fight  for  his  country. 
He  did  not  seek  any  position  of  distinction.  All 
he  desired  was  the  chance  to  do  whatever  work  he 
was  put  to  do  well,  and  to  get  to  the  front ;  and 
he  enlisted  as  a  trooper.  When  I  went  down  to 


12 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

the  camp  at  San  Antonio  he  was  on  kitchen  duty, 
and  was  cooking  and  washing  dishes  for  one  of 
tne  New  Mexican  troops ;  and  he  was  doing  it  so 
well  that  I  had  no  further  doubt  as  to  how  he 
would  get  on. 

My  friend  of  many  hunts  and  ranch  partner, 
Robert  Munro  Ferguson,  of  Scotland,  who  had 
been  on  Lord  Aberdeen's  staff  as  a  Lieutenant  but 
a  year  before,  likewise  could  not  keep  out  of  the 
regiment.  He,  too,  appealed  to  me  in  terms 
which  I  could  not  withstand,  and  came  in  like 
Kane  to  do  his  full  duty  as  a  trooper,  and  like 
Kane  to  win  his  commission  by  the  way  he  thus 
did  his  duty. 

I  felt  many  qualms  at  first  in  allowing  men  of 
this  stamp  to  come  in,  for  I  could  not  be  certain 
that  they  had  counted  the  cost,  and  was  afraid 
they  would  find  it  very  hard  to  serve — not  for  a 
few  days,  but  for  months — in  the  ranks,  while  I, 
their  former  intimate  associate,  was  a  field-officer; 
but  they  insisted  that  they  knew  their  minds,  and 
the  events  showed  that  they  did.  We  enlisted 
about  fifty  of  them  from  Virginia,  Maryland,  and 
the  Northeastern  States,  at  Washington.  Before 
allowing  them  to  be  sworn  in,  I  gathered  them 
together  and  explained  that  if  they  went  in  they 
must  be  prepared  not  merely  to  fight,  but  to  per 
form  the  weary,  monotonous  labor  incident  to  the 

13 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

ordinary  routine  of  a  soldier's  life  ;  that  they  must 
be  ready  to  face  fever  exactly  as  they  were  to  face 
bullets ;  that  they  were  to  obey  unquestioningly, 
and  to  do  their  duty  as  readily  if  called  upon  to 
garrison  a  fort  as  if  sent  to  the  front.  I  warned 
them  that  work  that  was  merely  irksome  and  dis 
agreeable  must  be  faced  as  readily  as  work  that 
was  dangerous,  and  that  no  complaint  of  any  kind 
must  be  made ;  and  I  told  them  that  they  were 
entirely  at  liberty  not  to  go,  but  that  after  they 
had  once  signed  there  could  then  be  no  backing 
out. 

Not  a  man  of  them  backed  out;  not  one  of 
them  failed  to  do  his  whole  duty. 

These  men  formed  but  a  small  fraction  of  the 
whole.  They  went  down  to  San  Antonio,  where 
the  regiment  was  to  gather  and  where  Wood  pre 
ceded  me,  while  I  spent  a  week  in  Washington 
hurrying  up  the  different  bureaus  and  telegraph 
ing  my  various  railroad  friends,  so  as  to  insure 
our  getting  the  carbines,  saddles,  and  uniforms 
that  we  needed  from  the  various  armories  and 
storehouses.  Then  I  went  down  to  San  Antonio 
myself,  where  I  found  the  men  from  New 
Mexico,  Arizona,  and  Oklahoma  already  gath 
ered,  while  those  from  Indian  Territory  came  in 
soon  after  my  arrival. 

These  were  the  men  who  made  up  the  bulk  of 
14 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

the  regiment,  and  gave  it  its  peculiar  character. 
They  came  from  the  Four  Territories  which  yet 
remained  within  the  boundaries  of  the  United 
States;  that  is,  from  the  lands  that  have  been 
most  recently  won  over  to  white  civilization,  and 
in  which  the  conditions  of  life  are  nearest  those 
that  obtained  on  the  frontier  when  there  still  was 
a  frontier.  They  were  a  splendid  set  of  men, 
these  Southwesterners — tall  and  sinewy,  with  reso 
lute,  weather-beaten  faces,  and  eyes  that  looked  a 
man  straight  in  the  face  without  flinching.  They 
included  in  their  ranks  men  of  every  occupation ; 
but  the  three  types  were  those  of  the  cow-boy,  the 
hunter,  and  the  mining  prospector — the  man  who 
wandered  hither  and  thither,  killing  game  for  a 
living,  and  spending  his  life  in  the  quest  for 
metal  wealth. 

In  all  the  world  there  could  be  no  better  mate 
rial  for  soldiers  than  that  afforded  by  these  grim 
hunters  of  the  mountains,  these  wild  rough  riders 
of  the  plains.  They  were  accustomed  to  han 
dling  wild  and  savage  horses;  they  were  accus 
tomed  to  following  the  chase  with  the  rifle,  both 
for  sport  and  as  a  means  of  livelihood.  Varied 
though  their  occupations  had  been,  almost  all  had, 
at  one  time  or  another,  herded  cattle  and  hunted 
big  game.  They  were  hardened  to  life  in  the 
open,  and 'to  shifting  for  themselves  under  adverse 

15 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

circumstances.  They  were  used,  for  all  their  law 
less  freedom,  to  the  rough  discipline  of  the  round 
up  and  the  mining  company.  Some  of  them 
came  from  the  small  frontier  towns;  but  most 
were  from  the  wilderness,  having  left  their  lonely 
hunters'  cabins  and  shifting  cow-camps  to  seek 
new  and  more  stirring  adventures  beyond  the  sea. 

They  had  their  natural  leaders — the  men  who 
had  shown  they  could  master  other  men,  and 
could  more  than  hold  their  own  in  the  eager  driv 
ing  life  of  the  new  settlements. 

The  Captains  and  Lieutenants  were  sometimes 
men  who  had  campaigned  in  the  regular  army 
against  Apache,  Ute,  and  Cheyenne,  and  who,  on 
completing  their  term  of  service,  had  shown  their 
energy  by  settling  in  the  new  communities  and 
growing  up  to  be  men  of  mark.  In  other  cases 
they  were  sheriffs,  marshals,  deputy-sheriffs  and 
deputy-marshals — men  who  had  fought  Indians, 
and  still  more  often  had  waged  relentless  war 
upon  the  bands  of  white  desperadoes.  There  was 
Bijek^  O'Neill,  of  Arizona,  Captain  of  Troop  A. 
the  >Mayor  of  Prescott,  a  famous  sheriff  through 
out  the  West  for  his  feats  of  victorious  warfare 
against  the  Apache,  no  less  than  against  the  white 
road-agents  and  man-killers.  His  father  had 
fought  in  Meagher's  Brigade  in  the  Civil  War; 
and  he  was  himself  a  born  soldier,  a  born  leader 

16 


Q. 

a 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

of  men.  He  was  a  wild,  reckless  fellow,  soft 
spoken,  and  of  dauntless  courage  and  boundless 
ambition;  he  was  stanchly  loyal  to  his  friends, 
and  cared  for  his  men  in  every  way.  There  was 
Captain  Llewellen,  of  New  Mexico,  a  good  citi 
zen,  a  political  leader,  and  one  of  the  most  noted 
peace-officers  of  the  country ;  he  had  been  shot 
four  times  in  pitched  fights  with  red  marauders 
and  white  outlaws.  There  was  Lieutenant  Bal- 
lard,  who  had  broken  up  the  Black  Jack  gang  of 
ill-omened  notoriety,  and  his  Captain,  Curry, 
another  New  Mexican  sheriff  of  fame.  The 
officers  from  the  Indian  Territory  had  almost  all 
served  as  marshals  and  deputy-marshals ;  and  in 
the  Indian  Territory,  service  as  a  deputy-marshal 
meant  capacity  to  fight  stand-up  battles  with  the 
gangs  of  outlaws. 

Three  of  our  higher  officers  had  been  in  the 
regular  army.  One  was  Major  Alexander  Brodie, 
from  Arizona,  afterward  Lieutenant-Colonel,  who 
had  lived  for  twenty  years  in  the  Territory,  and 
had  become  a  thorough  Westerner  without  sink 
ing  the  West  Pointer — a  soldier  by  taste  as  well 
as  training,  whose  men  worshipped  him  and 
would  follow  him  anywhere,  as  they  would  Bucky 
O'Neill  or  any  other  of  their  favorites.  Brodie 
was  running  a  big  mining  business;  but  when 
the  Maine  was  blown  up,  he  abandoned  every- 

17 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

thing  and  telegraphed  right  and  left  to  bid  his 
friends  get  ready  for  the  fight  he  saw  impending. 

Then  there  was  Micah  Jenkins,  the  Captain  of 
Troop  K,  a  gentle  and  courteous  South  Carolin 
ian,  on  whom  danger  acted  like  wine.  In  action 
he  was  a  perfect  game-cock,  and  he  won  his 
majority  for  gallantry  in  battle. 

Finally,  there  was  Allyn  Capron,  who  was,  on 
the  whole,  the  best  soldier  in  the  regiment.  In 
fact,  I  think  he  was  the  ideal  of  what  an  Ameri 
can  regular  army  officer  should  be.  He  was  the 
fifth  in  descent  from  father  to  son  who  had  served 
in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  and  in  body  and 
mind  alike  he  was  fitted  to  play  his  part  to  per 
fection.  Tall  and  lithe,  a  remarkable  boxer  and 
walker,  a  first-class  rider  and  shot,  with  yellow  hair 
and  piercing  blue  eyes,  he  looked  what  he  was, 
the  archetype  of  the  fighting  man.  He  had  under 
him  one  of  the  two  companies  from  the  Indian 
Territory ;  and  he  so  soon  impressed  himself  upon 
the  wild  spirit  of  his  followers,  that  he  got  them 
ahead  in  discipline  faster  than  any  other  troop  in 
the  regiment,  while  at  the  same  time  taking  care 
of  their  bodily  wants.  His  ceaseless  effort  was  so 
to  train  them,  care  for  them,  and  inspire  them  as 
to  bring  their  fighting  efficiency  to  the  highest 
possible  pitch.  He  required  instant  obedience, 
and  tolerated  not  the  slightest  evasion  of  duty; 

18 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

but  his  mastery  of  his  art  was  so  thorough  and  his 
performance  of  his  own  duty  so  rigid  that 'he  won 
at  once  not  merely  their  admiration,  but  that  sol 
dierly  affection  so  readily  given  by  the  man  in  the 
ranks  to  the  superior  who  cares  for  his  men  and 
leads  them  fearlessly  in  battle. 

All — Easterners  and  Westerners,  Northerners 
and  Southerners,  officers  and  men,  cow-boys  and 
college  graduates,  wherever  they  came  from,  and 
whatever  their  social  position — possessed  in  com 
mon  the  traits  of  hardihood  and  a  thirst  for  advent 
ure.  They  were  to  a  man  born  adventurers,  in 
the  old  sense  of  the  word. 

The  men  in  the  ranks  were  mostly  young;  yet 
some  were  past  their  first  youth.  These  had  taken 
part  in  the  killing  of  the  great  buffalo  herds,  and 
had  fought  Indians  when  the  tribes  were  still  on  the 
war-path.  The  younger  ones,  too,  had  led  rough 
lives ;  and  the  lines  in  their  faces  told  of  many 
a  hardship  endured,  and  many  a  danger  silently 
faced  with  grim,  unconscious  philosophy.  Some 
were  originally  from  the  East,  and  had  seen 
strange  adventures  in  different  kinds  of  life,  from 
sailing  round  the  Horn  to  mining  in  Alaska, 
Others  had  been  born  and  bred  in  the  West,  and 
had  never  seen  a  larger  town  than  Santa  Fe  or  a 
bigger  body  of  water  than  the  Pecos  in  flood. 
Some  of  them  went  by  their  own  name ;  some  had 

19 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

changed  their  names;  and  yet  others  possessed 
but  half  a  name,  colored  by  some  adjective,  like 
Cherokee  Bill,  Happy  Jack  of  Arizona,  Smoky 
Moore,  the  bronco-buster,  so  named  because  cow 
boys  often  call  vicious  horses  "smoky"  horses, 
and  Rattlesnake  Pete,  who  had  lived  among  the 
Moquis  and  taken  part  in  the  snake -dances. 
Some  were  professional  gamblers,  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  no  less  than  four  were  or  had  been 
Baptist  or  Methodist  clergymen — and  proved  first- 
class  fighters,  too,  by  the  way.  Some  were  men 
whose  lives  in  the  past  had  not  been  free  from  the 
taint  of  those  fierce  kinds  of  crime  into  which  the 
lawless  spirits  who  dwell  on  the  border-land  be 
tween  civilization  and  savagery  so  readily  drift. 
A  far  larger  number  had  served  at  different  times 
in  those  bodies  of  armed  men  with  which  the 
growing  civilization  of  the  border  finally  puts 
down  its  savagery. 

There  was  one  characteristic  and  distinctive  con 
tingent  which  could  have  appeared  only  in  such 
a  regiment  as  ours.  From  the  Indian  Territory 
there  came  a  number  of  Indians  —  Cherokees, 
Chickasaws,  Choctaws,  and  Creeks.  Only  a  few 
were  of  pure  blood.  The  others  shaded  off  until 
they  were  absolutely  indistinguishable  from  their 
white  comrades ;  with  whom,  it  may  be  mentioned 
they  all  lived  on  terms  of  complete  equality. 

20 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

Not  all  of  the  Indians  were  from  the  Indian 
Territory.  One  of  the  gamest  fighters  and  best 
soldiers  in  the  regiment  was  Pollock,  a  full- 
blooded  Pawnee.  He  had  been  educated,  like 
most  of  the  other  Indians,  at  one  of  those  admira 
ble  Indian  schools  which  have  added  so  much  to 
the  total  of  the  small  credit  account  with  which 
the  White  race  balances  the  very  unpleasant  debit 
account  of  its  dealings  with  the  Red.  Pollock 
was  a  silent,  solitary  fellow — an  excellent  pen 
man,  much  given  to  drawing  pictures.  When 
we  got  down  to  Santiago  he  developed  into  the 
regimental  clerk.  I  never  suspected  him  of  hav 
ing  a  sense  of  humor  until  one  day,  at  the  end  of 
our  stay  in  Cuba,  as  he  was  sitting  in  the  Adju 
tant's  tent  working  over  the  returns,  there  turned 
up  a  trooper  of  the  First  who  had  been  acting  as 
barber.  Eying  him  with  immovable  face  Pollock 
asked,  in  a  guttural  voice,  "  Do  you  cut  hair  *? " 
The  man  answered  "Yes";  and  Pollock  contin 
ued,  "  Then  you'd  better  cut  mine,"  muttering, 
in  an  explanatory  soliloquy,  "  Don't  want  to  wear 
my  hair  long  like  a  wild  Indian  when  I'm  in  civ 
ilized  warfare." 

Another  Indian  came  from  Texas.  He  was  a 
brakeman  on  the  Southern  Pacific,  and  wrote 
telling  me  he  was  an  American  Indian,  and  that 
he  wanted  to  enlist.  His  name  was  Colbert, 

21 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

which  at  once  attracted  my  attention ;  for  1 
familiar  with  the  history  of  the  Cherokees  and 
Chickasaws  during  the  eighteenth  century,  when 
they  lived  east  of  the  Mississippi.  Early  in  that 
century  various  traders,  chiefly  Scotchmen,  settled 
among  them,  and  the  half-breed  descendants  of 
one  named  Colbert  became  the  most  noted  chiefs 
of  the  Chickasaws.  I  summoned  the  applicant 
before  me,  and  found  that  he  was  an  excellent 
man,  and,  as  I  had  supposed,  a  descendant  of  the 
old  Chickasaw  chiefs. 

He  brought  into  the  regiment,  by  the  way,  his 
"  partner,"  a  white  man.  The  two  had  been  in 
separable  companions  for  some  years,  and  con 
tinued  so  in  the  regiment.  Every  man  who  has 
lived  in  the  West  knows  that,  vindictive  though 
the  hatred  between  the  white  man  and  the  Indian 
is  when  they  stand  against  one  another  in  what 
may  be  called  their  tribal  relations,  yet  that  men  of 
Indian  blood,  when  adopted  into  white  communi 
ties,  are  usually  treated  precisely  like  anyone  else. 

Colbert  was  not  the  only  Indian  whose  name  I 
recognized.  There  was  a  Cherokee  named  Adair, 
who,  upon  inquiry,  I  found  to  be  descended  from 
the  man  who,  a  century  and  a  half  ago,  wrote  a 
ponderous  folio,  to  this  day  of  great  interest,  about 
the  Cherokees,  with  whom  he  had  spent  the  best 
years  of  his  life  as  a  trader  and  agent. 

22 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

I  don't  know  that  I  ever  came  across  a  man 
with  a  really  sweeter  nature  than  another  Chero 
kee  named  Holderman."  He  was  an  excellent 
soldier,  and  for  a  long  time  acted  as  cook  for  the 
head-quarters  mess.  He  was  a  half-breed,  and 
came  of  a  soldier  stock  on  both  sides  and  through 
both  races.  He  explained  to  me  once  why  he 
had  come  to  the  war ;  that  it  was  because  his  peo 
ple  always  had  fought  when  there  was  a  war,  and 
he  could  not  feel  happy  to  stay  at  home  when  the 
flag  was  going  into  battle. 

Two  of  the  young  Cherokee  recruits  came  to 
me  with  a  most  kindly  letter  from  one  of  the 
ladies  who  had  been  teaching  in  the  academy 
from  which  they  were  about  to  graduate.  She 
and  I  had  known  one  another  in  connection  with 
Governmental  and  philanthropic  work  on  the  res 
ervations,  and  she  wrote  to  commend  the  two 
boys  to  my  attention.  One  was  on  the  Academy 
foot-ball  team  and  the  other  in  the  glee-club. 
Both  were  fine  young  fellows.  The  foot-ball 
player  now  lies  buried  with  the  other  dead  who 
fell  in  the  fight  at  San  Juan.  The  singer  was 
brought  to  death's  door  by  fever,  but  recovered 
and  came  back  to  his  home. 

There  were  other  Indians  of  much  wilder  typ^, 
but  their  wildness  was  precisely  like  that  of  the 
cow-boys  with  whom  they  were  associated.  One 

23 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

\)T  two  of  them  needed  rough  discipline ;  and  they 
got  it,  too.  Like  the  rest  of  the  regiment,  they 
were  splendid  riders.  I  remember  one  man,  whose 
character  left  much  to  be  desired  in  some  respects, 
but  whose  horsemanship  was  unexceptionable. 
He  was  mounted  on  an  exceedingly  bad  bronco, 
which  would  bolt  out  of  the  ranks  at  drill.  He 
broke  it  of  this  habit  by  the  simple  expedient  of 
giving  it  two  tremendous  twists,  first  to  one  side 
and  then  to  the  other,  as  it  bolted,  with  the  result 
that,  invariably,  at  the  second  bound  its  legs 
crossed  and  over  it  went  with  a  smash,  the  rider 
taking  the  somersault  with  unmoved  equanimity. 

The  life  histories  of  some  of  the  men  who 
joined  our  regiment  would  make  many  volumes 
of  thrilling  adventure. 

We  drew  a  great  many  recruits  from  Texas ; 
and  from  nowhere  did  we  get  a  higher  average, 
for  many  of  them  had  served  in  that  famous  body 
of  frontier  fighters,  the  Texas  Rangers.  Of  course, 
these  rangers  needed  no  teaching.  They  were 
already  trained  to  obey  and  to  take  responsibility. 
They  were  splendid  shots,  horsemen,  and  trailers. 
They  were  accustomed  to  living  in  the  open,  to 
enduring  great  fatigue  and  hardship,  and  to  en 
countering  all  kinds  of  danger. 

Many  of  the  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  men 
had  taken  part  in  warfare  with  the  Apaches, 

24 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

those  terrible  Indians  of  the  waterless  Southwest 
ern  mountains — the  most  bloodthirsty  and  the 
wildest  of  all  the  red  men  of  America,  and  the 
most  formidable  in  their  own  dreadful  style  of 
warfare.  Of  course,  a  man  who  had  kept  his  nerve 
and  held  his  own,  year  after  year,  while  living 
where  each  day  and  night  contained  the  threat  of 
hidden  death  from  a  foe  whose  goings  and  com 
ings  were  unseen,  was  not  apt  to  lose  courage 
when  confronted  with  any  other  enemy.  An  ex 
perience  in  following  in  the  trail  of  an  enemy  who 
might  flee  at  one  stretch  through  fifty  miles  of 
death-like  desert  was  a  good  school  out  of  which 
to  come  with  profound  indifference  for  the  ordi 
nary  hardships  of  campaigning. 

As  a  rule,  the  men  were  more  apt,  however,  to 
have  had  experience  in  warring  against  white 
desperadoes  and  law-breakers  than  against  Indians. 
Some  of  our  best  recruits  came  from  Colorado. 
One,  a  very  large,  hawk-eyed  man,  Benjamin 
Franklin  Daniels,  had  been  Marshal  of  Dodge  City 
when  that  pleasing  town  was  probably  the  toughest 
abode  of  civilized  man  to  be  found  anywhere  on 
the  continent.  In  the  course  of  the  exercise  of 
his  rather  lurid  functions  as  peace-officer  he  had 
lost  half  of  one  ear — "  bitten  off,"  it  was  explained 
to  me.  Naturally,  he  viewed  the  dangers  of  bat 
tle  with  philosophic  calm.  Such  a  man  was,  in 

25 


THE    ROUGH    RIDERS 

reality,  a  veteran  even  in  his  first  fight,  and  was  a 
tower  of  strength  to  the  recruits  in  his  part  of  the- 
line.  With  him  there  came  into  the  regiment  a 
deputy  marshal  from  Cripple  Creek  named  Sher 
man  Bell.  Bell  had  a  hernia,  but  he  was  so  ex 
cellent  a  man  that  we  decided  to  take  him.  I 
do  not  think  I  ever  saw  greater  resolution  than 
Bell  displayed  throughout  ^the  campaign.  In 
Cuba  the  great  exertions  which  he  was  forced  to 
make,  again  and  again  opened  the  hernia,  and  the 
surgeons  insisted  that  he  must  return  to  the 
United  States ;  but  he  simply  would  not  go. 

Then  there  was  little  McGinty,  the  bronco-bus 
ter  from  Oklahoma,  who  never  had  walked  a 
hundred  yards  if  by  any  possibility  he  could  ride. 
When  McGinty  was  reproved  for  his  absolute  in 
ability  to  keep  step  on  the  drill-ground,  he  re 
sponded  that  he  was  pretty  sure  he  could  keep 
step  on  horseback.  McGinty's  short  legs  caused 
him  much  trouble  on  the  marches,  but  we  had  no 
braver  or  better  man  in  the  fights. 

One  old  friend  of  mine  had  come  from  far 
northern  Idaho  to  join  the  regiment  at  San  An 
tonio.  He  was  a  hunter,  named  Fred  Herrig,  an 
Alsatian  by  birth.  A  dozen  years  before  he  and 
I  had  hunted  mountain  sheep  and  deer  when  lay 
ing  in  the  winter  stock  of  meat  for  my  ranch  on 
the  Little  Missouri,  sometimes  in  the  bright  fall 

26 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

weather,  sometimes  in  the  Arctic  bitterness  of  the 
early  Northern  winter.  He  was  the  most  loyal 
and  simple-hearted  of  men,  and  he  had  come  to 
join  his  old  "  boss  "  and  comrade  in  the  bigger 
hunting  which  we  were  to  carry  on  through  the 
tropic  mid-summer. 

The  temptation  is  great  to  go  on  enumerating 
man  after  man  who  stood  pre-eminent,  whether 
as  a  killer  of  game,  a  tamer  of  horses,  or  a  queller 
of  disorder  among  his  people,  or  who,  mayhap, 
stood  out  with  a  more  evil  prominence  as  himself 
a  dangerous  man — one  given  to  the  taking  of  life 
on  small  provocation,  or  one  who  was  ready  to 
earn  his  living  outside  the  law  if  the  occasion  de 
manded  it.  There  was  tall  Proffit,  the  sharp 
shooter,  from  North  Carolina — sinewy,  saturnine, 
fearless;  Smith,  the  bear-hunter  from  Wyoming, 
and  McCann,  the  Arizona  book-keeper,  who  had 
begun  life  as  a  buffalo-hunter.  There  was  Croc 
kett,  the  Georgian,  who  had  been  an  Internal 
Revenue  officer,  and  had  waged  perilous  war  on 
the  rifle-bearing  "  moonshiners."  There  were 
Darnell  and  Wood  of  New  Mexico,  who  could 
literally  ride  any  horses  alive.  There  were  Good 
win,  and  Buck  Taylor,  and  Armstrong  the  ranger, 
crack  shots  with  rifle  or  revolver.  There  was 
many  a  skilled  packer  who  had  led  and  guarded 
his  trains  of  laden  mules  through  the  Indian- 

27 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

haunted  country  surrounding  some  out-post  of 
civilization.  There  were  men  who  had  won  fame 
as  Rocky  Mountain  stage-drivers,  or  who  had 
spent  endless  days  in  guiding  the  slow  wagon- 
trains  across  the  grassy  plains.  There  were  min 
ers  who  knew  every  camp  from  the  Yukon  to 
Leadville,  and  cow-punchers  in  whose  memories 
were  stored  the  brands  carried  by  the  herds  from 
Chihuahua  to  Assiniboia.  There  were  men  who 
had  roped  wild  steers  inthemesquite  brush  of  the 
Nueces,  and  who,  year  in  and  year  out,  had  driven 
the  trail  herds  northward  over  desolate  wastes  and 
across  the  fords  of  shrunken  rivers  to  the  fatten 
ing  grounds  of  the  Powder  and  the  Yellowstone. 
They  were  hardened  to  the  scorching  heat  and 
bitter  cold  of  the  dry  plains  and  pine-clad  moun 
tains.  They  were  accustomed  to  sleep  in  the 
open,  while  the  picketed  horses  grazed  beside 
them  near  some  shallow,  reedy  pool.  They  had 
wandered  hither  and  thither  across  the  vast  deso 
lation  of  the  wilderness,  alone  or  with  comrades. 
They  had  cowered  in  the  shelter  of  cut  banks 
from  the  icy  blast  of  the  norther,  and  far  out  on 
the  midsummer  prairies  they  had  known  the 
luxury  of  lying  in  the  shade  of  the  wagon  during 
the  noonday  rest.  They  had  lived  in  brush  lea'n- 
tos  for  weeks  at  a  time,  or  with  only  the  wagon- 
sheet  as  an  occasional  house.  They  had  fared 

28 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

hard  when  exploring  the  unknown ;  they  had 
fared  well  on  the  round-up ;  and  they  had  known 
the  plenty  of  the  log  ranch-houses,  where  the 
tables  were  spread  with  smoked  venison  and  calf- 
ribs  and  milk  and  bread,  and  vegetables  from  the 
garden-patch. 

Such  were  the  men  we  had  as  recruits :  soldiers 
ready  made,  as  far  as  concerned  their  capacity  as 
individual  fighters.  What  was  necessary  was  to 
teach  them  to  act  together,  and  to  obey  orders. 
Our  special  task  was  to  make  them  ready  for 
action  in  the  shortest  possible  time.  We  were 
bound  to  see  fighting,  and  therefore  to  be  with 
the  first  expedition  that  left  the  United  States; 
for  we  could  not  tell  how  long  the  war  would 
last. 

I  had  been  quite  prepared  for  trouble  when  it 
came  to  enforcing  discipline,  but  I  was  agreeably 
disappointed.  There  were  plenty  of  hard  charac 
ters  who  might  by  themselves  have  given  trouble, 
and  with  one  or  two  of  whom  we  did  have  to 
take  rough  measures ;  but  the  bulk  of  the  men 
thoroughly  understood  that  without  discipline 
they  would  be  merely  a  valueless  mob,  and  they 
set  themselves  hard  at  work  to  learn  the  new 
duties.  Of  course,  such  a  regiment,  in  spite  of, 
or  indeed  I  might  almost  say  because  of,  the 
characteristics  which  made  the  individual  men  so 

29 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

exceptionally  formidable  as  soldiers,  could  very 
readily  have  been  spoiled.  Any  weakness  in  the 
commander  would  have  ruined  it.  On  the  other 
hand,  to  treat  it  from  the  stand-point  of  the  marti 
net  and  military  pedant  would  have  been  almost 
equally  fatal.  From  the  beginning  we  started 
out  to  secure  the  essentials  of  discipline,  while 
laying  just  as  little  stress  as  possible  on  the  non- 
essentials.  The  men  were  singularly  quick  to  re 
spond  to  any  appeal  to  their  intelligence  and  patri 
otism.  The  faults  they  committed  were  those  of 
ignorance  merely.  When  Holderman,  in  an 
nouncing  dinner  to  the  Colonel  and  the  three 
Majors,  genially  remarked,  "  If  you  fellars  don't 
come  soon,  everything  '11  get  cold,"  he  had  no 
thought  of  other  than  a  kindly  and  respectful  re 
gard  for  their  welfare,  and  was  glad  to  modify  his 
form  of  address  on  being  told  that  it  was  not  what 
could  be  described  as  conventionally  military. 
When  one  of  our  sentinels,  who  had  with  much 
labor  learned  the  manual  of  arms,  saluted  with 
great  pride  as  I  passed,  and  added,  with  a  friendly 
nod,  "  Good-evening,  Colonel,"  this  variation  in 
the  accepted  formula  on  such  occasions  was  meant, 
and  was  accepted,  as  mere  friendly  interest.  In 
both  cases  the  needed  instruction  was  given  and 
received  in  the  same  kindly  spirit. 
One  of  the  new  Indian  Territory  recruits,  after 
30 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

twenty-four  hours'  stay  in  camp,  during  which  he 
had  held  himself  distinctly  aloof  from  the  general 
interests,  called  on  the  Colonel  in  his  tent,  and  re 
marked,  "  Well,  Colonel,  I  want  to  shake  hands 
and  say  we're  with  you.  We  didn't  know  how 
vve  would  like  you  fellars  at  first;  but  you're  all 
right,  and  you  know  your  business,  and  you  mean 
business,  and  you  can  count  on  us  every  time ! " 

That  same  night,  which  was  hot,  mosquitoes 
were  very  annoying;  and  shortly  after  midnight 
both  the  Colonel  and  I  came  to  the  doors  of  our 
respective  tents,  which  adjoined  one  another. 
The  sentinel  in  front  was  also  fighting  mosqui 
toes.  As  we  came  out  we  saw  him  pitch  his  gun 
about  ten  feet  off,  and  sit  down  to  attack  some  of 
the  pests  that  had  swarmed  up  his  trousers'  legs. 
Happening  to  glance  in  our  direction,  he  nodded 
pleasantly  and,  with  unabashed  and  friendly  feel 
ing,  remarked,  "  Ain't  they  bad  *?  " 

It  was  astonishing  how  soon  the  men  got  over 
these  little  peculiarities.  They  speedily  grew  to 
recognize  the  fact  that  the  observance  of  certain 
forms  was  essential  to  the  maintenance  of  proper 
discipline.  They  became  scrupulously  careful  in 
touching  their  hats,  and  always  came  to  attention 
when  spoken  to.  They  saw  that  we  did  not  in 
sist  upon  the  observance  of  tnese  forms  to  humili 
ate  them;  that  we  were  as  anxious  to  learn 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

our  own  duties  as  we  were  to  have  them  learn 
theirs,  and  as  scrupulous  in  paying  respect  to  our 
superiors  as  we  were  in  exacting  the  acknowl 
edgment  due  our  rank  from  those  below  us; 
moreover,  what  was  very  important,  they  saw  that 
we  were  careful  to  look  after  their  interests  in 
every  way,  and  were  doing  all  that  was  possible 
to  hurry  up  the  equipment  and  drill  of  the  regi 
ment,  so  as  to  get  into  the  war. 

Rigid  guard  duty  was  established  at  once,  and 
everyone  was  impressed  with  the  necessity  for 
vigilance  and  watchfulness.  The  policing  of  the 
camp  was  likewise  attended  to  with  the  utmost 
rigor.  As  always  with  new  troops,  they  were  at 
first  indifferent  to  the  necessity  for  cleanliness 
in  camp  arrangements ;  but  on  this  point  Colonel 
Wood  brooked  no  laxity,  and  in  a  very  little 
while  the  hygienic  conditions  of  the  camp  were 
as  good  as  those  of  any  regular  regiment.  Mean 
while  the  men  were  being  drilled,  on  foot  at  first, 
with  the  utmost  Assiduity.  Every  night  we  had 
officers'  school,  the  non-commissioned  officers  of 
each  troop  being  given  similar  schooling  by  the 
Captain  or  one  of  the  Lieutenants  of  the  troop ; 
and  every  day  we  practised  hard,  by  squad,  by 
troop,  by  squadron  and  battalion.  The  earnest 
ness  and  intelligence  with  which  the  men  went  to 
work  rendered  the  task  of  instruction  much  less 

32 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

difficult  than  would  be  supposed.  It  soon  grew 
easy  to  handle  the  regiment  in  all  the  simpler 
forms  cf  close  and  open  order.  When  they  had 
grown  so  that  they  could  be  handled  with  ease  in 
marching,  and  in  the  ordinary  manoeuvres  of  the 
drill-ground,  we  began  to  train  them  in  open-order 
work,  skirmishing  and  firing.  Here  their  wood 
craft  and  plainscraft,  their  knowledge  of  the  rifle, 
helped  us  very  much.  Skirmishing  they  took  to 
naturally,  which  was  fortunate,  as  practically  all 
our  fighting  was  done  in  open  order. 

Meanwhile  we  were  purchasing  horses.  Judg 
ing  from  what  I  saw  I  do  not  think  that  we  got 
heavy  enough  animals,  and  of  those  purchased 
certainly  a  half  were  nearly  unbroken.  It  was  no 
easy  matter  to  handle  them  on  the  picket-lines, 
and  to  provide  for  feeding  and  watering ;  and  the 
efforts  to  shoe  and  ride  them  were  at  first  produc 
tive  of  much  vigorous  excitement.  Of  course, 
those  that  were  wild  from  the  range  had  to  be 
thrown  and  tied  down  before  they  could  be  shod. 
Half  the  horses  of  the  regiment  bucked,  or  pos 
sessed  some  other  of  the  amiable  weaknesses  inci 
dent  to  horse  life  on  the  great  ranches;  but  we 
had  abundance  of  men  who  were  utterly  unmoved 
by  any  antic  a  horse  might  commit.  Every  ani 
mal  was  speedily  mastered,  though  a  large  num 
ber  remained  to  the  end  mounts  upon  which  an 

33 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

ordinary  rider  would  have  felt  very  uncomforta 
ble. 

My  own  horses  were  purchased  for  me  by  a 
Texas  friend,  John  Moore,  with  whom  I  had 
once  hunted  peccaries  on  the  Nueces.  I  only 
paid  fifty  dollars  apiece,  and  the  animals  were  not 
showy;  but  they  were  tough  and  hardy,  and  an 
swered  my  purpose  well. 

Mounted  drill  with  such  horses  and  men  bade 
fair  to  offer  opportunities  for  excitement;  yet  it 
usually  went  off  smoothly  enough.  Before  drill 
ing  the  men  on  horseback  they  had  all  been 
drilled  on  foot,  and  having  gone  at  their  work 
with  hearty  zest,  they  knew  well  the  simple  move 
ments  to  form  any  kind  of  line  or  column. 
Wood  was  busy  from  morning  till  night  in  hurry 
ing  the  final  details  of  the  equipment,  and  he 
turned  the  drill  of  the  men  over  to  me.  To  drill 
perfectly  needs  long  practice,  but  to  drill  roughly 
is  a  thing  very  easy  to  learn  indeed.  We  were 
not  always  right  about  our  intervals,  our  lines 
were  somewhat  irregular,  and  our  more  difficult 
movements  were  executed  at  times  in  rather  a 
haphazard  way ;  but  the  essential  commands  and 
the  essential  movements  we  learned  without  any 
difficulty,  and  the  rnen  peformed  them  with  great 
dash.  When  we  put  them  on  horseback,  there 
was,  of  course,  vfouole  with  the  horses;  but  the 

34 


) 


1 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

horsemanship  of  the  riders  was  consummate.  In 
fact,  the  men  were  immensely  interested  in  mak 
ing  their  horses  perform  each  evolution  with  the 
utmost  speed  and  accuracy,  and  in  forcing  each 
unquiet,  vicious  brute  to  get  into  line  and  stay  in 
line,  whether  he  would  or  not.  The  guidon- 
bearers  held  their  plunging  steeds  true  to  the  line, 
no  matter  what  they  tried  to  do ;  and  each  wild 
rider  brought  his  wild  horse  into  his  proper  place 
with  a  dash  and  ease  which  showed  the  natural 
cavalryman. 

In  short,  from  the  very  beginning  the  horseback 
drills  were  good  fun,  and  everyone  enjoyed  them. 
We  marched  out  through  the  adjoining  country 
to  drill  wherever  we  found  open  ground,  practis 
ing  all  the  different  column  formations  as  we 
went.  On  the  open  ground  we  threw  out  the 
line  to  one  side  or  the  other,  and  in  one  position 
and  the  other,  sometimes  at  the  trot,  sometimes  at 
the  gallop.  As  the  men  grew  accustomed  to  the 
simple  evolutions,  we  tried  them  more  and  more 
in  skirmish  drills,  practising  them  so  that  they 
might  get  accustomed  to  advance  in  open  order 
and  to  skirmish  in  any  country,  while  the  horses 
were  held  in  the  rear. 

Our  arms  were  the  regular  cavalry  carbine,  the 
"  Krag,"  a  splendid  weapon,  and  the  revolver. 
A  few  carried  their  favorite  Winchesters,  using, 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

of  course,  the  new  model,  which  took  the  Govern 
ment  cartridge.  We  felt  very  strongly  that  it 
would  be  worse  than  a  waste  of  time  to  try  to 
train  our  men  to  use  the  sabre — a  weapon  utterly 
alien  to  them ;  but  with  the  rifle  and  revolver 
they  were  already  thoroughly  familiar.  Many  of 
my  cavalry  friends  in  the  past  had  insisted  to  me 
that  the  revolver  was  a  better  weapon  than  the 
sword — among  them  Basil  Duke,  the  noted  Con 
federate  cavalry  leader,  and  Captain  Frank  Ed 
wards,  whom  I  had  met  when  elk-hunting  on  the 
head-waters  of  the  Yellowstone  and  the  Snake. 
Personally,  I  knew  too  little  to  decide  as  to  the 
comparative  merits  of  the  two  arms;  but  I  did 
know  that  it  was  a  great  deal  better  to  use  the 
arm  with  which  our  men  were  already  pro 
ficient.  They  were  therefore  armed  with  what 
might  be  called  their  natural  weapon,  the  re 
volver. 

As  it  turned  out,  we  were  not  used  mounted  at 
all,  so  that  our  preparations  on  this  point  came  to 
nothing.  In  a  way,  I  have  always  regretted  this. 
We  thought  we  should  at  least  be  employed  as 
cavalry  in  the  great  campaign  against  Havana  in 
the  fall ;  and  from  the  beginning  I  began  to  train 
my  men  in  shock  tactics  for  use  against  hostile 
cavalry.  My  belief  was  that  the  horse  was  really 
the  weapon  with  which  to  strike  the  first  blow. 

36 


RAISING   THE   REGIMENT 

I  felt  that  if  my  men  could  be  trained  to  hit  their 
adversaries  with  their  horses,  it  was  a  matter  of 
small  amount  whether,  at  the  moment  when  the 
onset  occurred,  sabres,  lances,  or  revolvers  were 
used;  while  in  the  subsequent  melee  I  believed 
the  revolver  would  outclass  cold  steel  as  a  weapon. 
But  this  is  all  guesswork,  for  we  never  had  occa 
sion  to  try  the  experiment. 

It  was  astonishing  what  a  difference  was  made 
by  two  or  three  weeks'  training.  The  mere 
thorough  performance  of  guard  and  police  duties 
helped  the  men  very  rapidly  to  become  soldiers. 
The  officers  studied  hard,  and  both  officers  and 
men  worked  hard  in  the  drill-field.  It  was,  of 
course,  rough  and  ready  drill;  but  it  was  very 
efficient,  and  it  was  suited  to  the  men  who  made 
up  the  regiment.  Their  uniform  also  suited  them. 
In  their  slouch  hats,  blue  flannel  shirts,  brown 
trousers,  leggings  and  boots,  with  handkerchiefs 
knotted  loosely  around  their  necks,  they  looked 
exactly  as  a  body  of  cow-boy  cavalry  should  look. 
The  officers  speedily  grew  to  realize  that  they 
must  not  be  over-familiar  with  their  men,  and 
yet  that  they  must  care  for  them  in  every  way. 
The  men,  in  return,  began  to  acquire  those  habits 
of  attention  to  soldierly  detail  which  mean  so 
much  in  making  a  regiment.  Above  all,  every 
man  felt,  and  had  constantly  instilled  into  him,  a 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

keen  pride  of  the  regiment,  and  a  resolute  pur 
pose  to  do  his  whole  duty  uncomplainingly,  and, 
above  all,  to  win  glory  by  the  way  he  handled 
himself  in  battle. 


iil 


by  Charles  Dana  Gibson. 

COLONEL   THEODORE    ROOSEVELT. 


11 

TO  CUBA 

UP    to   the    last  moment  we  were   spending 
every  ounce  of  energy  we  had  in  getting 
the    regiment    into   shape.      Fortunately, 
there  were  a   good  many  vacancies  among   the 
officers,  as  the  original  number  of  780  men  was 
increased  to   1,000;  so  that  two  companies  were 
organized    entirely  anew.     This  gave  the  chance 
to  promote  some  first-rate  men. 

One  of  the  most  useful  members  of  the  regi 
ment  was  Dr.  Robb  Church,  formerly  a  Princeton 
foot-ball  player.  He  was  appointed  as  Assistant 
Surgeon,  but  acted  throughout  almost  all  the  Cu 
ban  campaign  as  the  itegimental  Surgeon.  It 
was  Dr.  Church  who  first  gave  me  an  idea  of 
Bucky  O'Neill's  versatility,  for  I  happened  to 
overhear  them  discussing  Aryan  word-roots  to 
gether,  and  then  sliding  off  into  a  review  of  the 
novels  of  Balzac,  and  a  discussion  as  to  how  far 
Balzac  could  be  said  to  be  the  founder  of  the 
modern  realistic  school  of  fiction.  Church  had 
led  almost  as  varied  a  life  as  Bucky  himself,  his 

39 


THE  ROUGH   RIDERS 

career  including  incidents  as  far  apart  as  explor 
ing  and  elk-hunting  in  the  Olympic  Mountains, 
cooking  in  a  lumber-camp,  and  serving  as  doctor 
on  an  emigrant  ship. 

Woodbury  Kane  was  given  a  commission,  and 
also  Horace  Devereux,  of  Princeton.  Kane  was 
older  than  the  other  college  men  who  entered  in 
the  ranks ;  and  as  he  had  the  same  good  qualities 
to  start  with,  this  resulted  in  his  ultimately  be 
coming  perhaps  the  most  useful  soldier  in  the  reg 
iment.  He  escaped  wounds  and  serious  sickness, 
and  was  able  to  serve  through  every  day  of  the 
regiment's  existence. 

Two  of  the  men  made  Second  Lieutenants  by 
promotion  from  the  ranks  while  in  San  Antonio 
were  John  Greenway,  a  noted  Yale  foot-ball 
player  and  catcher  on  her  base-ball  nine,  and 
David  Goodrich,  for  two  years  captain  of  the 
Harvard  crew.  They  were  young  men,  Good 
rich  having  only  just  graduated;  while  Green- 
way,  whose  father  had  served  with  honor  in  the 
Confederate  Army,  had  been  out  of  Yale  three 
or  four  years.  They  were  natural  soldiers,  and  it 
would  be  well-nigh  impossible  to  overestimate 
the  amount  of  good  they  did  the  regiment.  They 
were  strapping  fellows,  entirely  fearless,  modest, 
and  quiet.  Their  only  thought  was  how  to  per 
fect  themselves  in  their  own  duties,  and  how  to 

40 


TO   CUBA 

take  care  of  the  men  under  them,  so  as  to  bring 
them  to  the  highest  point  of  soldierly  perfectioa 
I  grew  steadily  to  rely  upon  them,  as  men  who 
could  be  counted  upon  with  absolute  certainty, 
not  only  in  every  emergency,  but  in  all  routine 
work.  They  were  never  so  tired  as  not  to  re 
spond  with  eagerness  to  the  slightest  suggestion 
of  doing  something  new,  whether  it  was  danger 
ous  or  merely  difficult  and  laborious.  They  not 
merely  did  their  duty,  but  were  always  on  the 
watch  to  find  out  some  new  duty  which  they 
could  construe  to  be  theirs.  Whether  it  was  po 
licing  camp,  or  keeping  guard,  or  preventing 
straggling  on  the  march,  or  procuring  food  for  the 
men,  or  seeing  that  they  took  care  of  themselves 
in  camp,  or  performing  some  feat  of  unusual 
hazard  in  the  fight — no  call  was  ever  made  upon 
them  to  which  they  did  not  respond  with  eager 
thankfulness  for  being  given  the  chance  to  an 
swer  it.  Later  on  I  worked  them  as  hard  as  I 
knew  how,  and  the  regiment  will  always  be  their 
debtor. 

Greenway  was  from  Arkansas.  We  could  have 
filled  up  the  whole  regiment  many  times  over 
from  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  alone, 
but  were  only  able  to  accept  a  very  few  appli 
cants.  One  of  them  was  John  Mcllhenny,  of 
Louisiana;  a  planter  and  manufacturer,  a  big- 

41 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

game  hunter  and  book-lover,  who  could  have  had 
a  commission  in  the  Louisiana  troops,  but  who 
preferred  to  go  as  a  trooper  in  the  Rough  Riders 
because  he  believed  we  would  surely  see  fighting. 
He  could  have  commanded  any  influence,  social 
or  political,  he  wished  ;  but  he  never  asked  a 
favor  of  any  kind.  He  went  into  one  of  the 
New  Mexican  troops,  and  by  his  high  qualities 
and  zealous  attention  to  duty  speedily  rose  to  a 
sergeantcy,  and  finally  won  his  lieutenancy  for 
gallantry  in  action. 

The  tone  of  the  officers'  mess  was  very  high. 
Everyone  seemed  to  realize  that  he  had  under 
taken  most  serious  work.  They  all  earnestly 
wished  for  a  chance  to  distinguish  themselves,  and 
fully  appreciated  that  they  ran  the  risk  not  merely 
of  death,  but  of  what  was  infinitely  worse— 
namely,  failure  at  the  crisis  to  perform  duty  well ; 
and  they  strove  earnestly  so  to  train  themselves, 
and  the  men  under  them,  as  to  minimize  the  pos 
sibility  of  such  disgrace.  Every  officer  and  every 
man  was  taught  continually  to  look  forward  to 
the  day  of  battle  eagerly,  but  with  an  entire  sense 
of  the  drain  that  would  then  be  made  upon  his 
endurance  and  resolution.  They  were  also  taught 
that,  before  the  battle  came,  the  rigorous  perform 
ance  of  the  countless  irksome  duties  of  the  camp 
and  the  march  was  demanded  from  all  alike,  and 

42 


TO   CUBA 

that  no  excuse  would  be  tolerated  for  failure  to 
perform  duty.  Very  few  of  the  men  had  gone 
into  the  regiment  lightly,  and  the  fact  that  they 
did  their  duty  so  well  may  be  largely  attributed 
to  the  seriousness  with  which  these  eager,  adven 
turous  young  fellows  approached  their  work.  This 
seriousness,  and  a  certain  simple  manliness  which 
accompanied  it,  had  one  very  pleasant  side.  Dur 
ing  our  entire  time  of  service,  I  never  heard  in 
the  officers'  mess  a  foul  story  or  a  foul  word ;  and 
though  there  was  occasional  hard  swearing  in 
moments  of  emergency,  yet  even  this  was  the 
exception. 

The  regiment  attracted  adventurous  spirits  from 
everywhere.  Our  chief  trumpeter  was  a  native 
American,  our  second  trumpeter  was  from  the 
Mediterranean — I  think  an  Italian — who  had 
been  a  soldier  of  fortune  not  only  in  Egypt,  but 
in  the  French  Army  in  Southern  China.  Two 
excellent  men  were  Osborne,  a  tall  Australian, 
who  had  been  an  officer  in  the  New  South  Wales 
Mounted  Rifles;  and  Cook,  an  Englishman,  who 
had  served  in  South  Africa.  Both,  when  the  reg 
iment  disbanded,  were  plaintive  in  expressing 
their  fond  regret  that  it  could  not  be  used  against 
the  Transvaal  Boers ! 

One  of  our  best  soldiers  was  a  man  whose  real 
and  assumed  names  I,  for  obvious  reasons  con- 

43 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

ceal.  He  usually  went  by  a  nickname  which  I 
will  call  Tennessee.  He  was  a  tall,  gaunt  fellow, 
with  a  quiet  and  distinctly  sinister  eye,  who  did 
his  duty  excellently,  especially  when  a  fight  was 
on,  and  who,  being  an  expert  gambler,  always 
contrived  to  reap  a  rich  harvest  after  pay-day. 
When  the  regiment  was  mustered  out,  he  asked 
me  to  put  a  brief  memorandum  of  his  services 
on  his  discharge  certificate,  which  I  gladly  did. 
He  much  appreciated  this,  and  added,  in  expla 
nation,  "  You  see,  Colonel,  my  real  name  isn't 
Smith,  its  Yancy.  I  had  to  change  it,  because 
three  or  four  years  ago  I  had  a  little  trouble  with 
a  gentleman,  and — er — well,  in  fact,  I  had  to  kill 
him;  and  the  District  Attorney,  he  had  it  in  for 
me,  and  so  I  just  skipped  the  country ;  and  now, 
if  it  ever  should  be  brought  up  against  me,  I 
should  like  to  show  your  certificate  as  to  my  char 
acter  !  "  The  course  of  frontier  justice  sometimes 
moves  in  unexpected  zigzags ;  so  I  did  not  ex 
press  the  doubt  I  felt  as  to  whether  my  certificate 
that  he  had  been  a  good  soldier  would  help  him 
much  if  he  was  tried  for  a  murder  committed 
three  or  four  years  previously. 

The  men  worked  hard  and  faithfully.  As  a 
rule,  in  spite  of  the  number  of  rough  characters 
among  them,  they  behaved  very  well.  One  night 
a  few  of  them  went  on  a  spree,  and  proceeded 

44 


TO   CUBA 

'*  to  paint  San  Antonia  red."  One  was  captured 
by  the  city  authorities,  and  we  had  to  leave  him 
behind  us  in  jail.  The  others  we  dealt  with  our 
selves,  in  a  way  that  prevented  a  repetition  of  the 
occurrence. 

The  men  speedily  gave  one  another  nicknames, 
largely  conferred  in  a  spirit  of  derision,  their 
basis  lying  in  contrast.  A  brave  but  fastidious 
member  of  a  well-known  Eastern  club,  who  was 
serving  in  the  ranks,  was  christened  "Tough 
Ike  " ;  and  his  bunkie,  the  man  who  shared  his 
shelter-tent,  who  was  a  decidedly  rough  cow- 
puncher,  gradually  acquired  the  name  of  "  The 
Dude."  One  unlucky  and  simple-minded  cow- 
puncher,  who  had  never  been  east  of  the  great 
plains  in  his  life,  unwarily  boasted  that  he  had  an 
aunt  in  New  York,  and  ever  afterward  went  by 
the  name  of  "  Metropolitan  Bill."  A  huge  red 
headed  Irishman  was  named  "  Sheeny  Solomon." 
A  young  Jew  who  developed  into  one  of  the  best 
fighters  in  the  regiment  accepted,  with  entire 
equanimity,  the  name  of  "  Pork-chop."  We  had 
quite  a  number  of  professional  gamblers,  who,  I 
am  bound  to  say,  usually  made  good  soldiers. 
One,  who  was  almost  abnormally  quiet  and  gentle, 
was  called  "  Hell  Roarer  " ;  while  another,  who  in 
point  of  language  and  deportment  was  his  exact 
antithesis,  was  christened  "  Prayerful  James." 

45 


THE  ROUGH   RIDERS 

While  the  officers  and  men  were  learning  their 
duties,  and  learning  to  know  one  another,  Colonel 
Wood  was  straining  every  nerve  to  get  our  equip 
ments — an  effort  which  was  complicated  by  the 
tendency  of  the  Ordnance  Bureau  to  send  what 
ever  we  really  needed  by  freight  instead  of  ex 
press.  Finally,  just  as  the  last  rifles,  revolvers, 
and  saddles  came,  we  were  ordered  by  wire  at 
once  to  proceed  by  train  to  Tampa. 

Instantly,  all  was  joyful  excitement.  We  had 
enjoyed  San  Antonio,  and  were  glad  that  our  reg 
iment  had  been  organized  in  the  city  where  the 
Alamo  commemorates  the  death  fight  of  Crock* 
ett,  Bowie,  and  their  famous  band  of  frontier 
heroes.  All  of  us  had  worked  hard,  so  that  we 
had  had  no  time  to  be  homesick  or  downcast ;  but 
we  were  glad  to  leave  the  hot  camp,  where  every 
day  the  strong  wind  sifted  the  dust  through  every 
thing,  and  to  start  for  the  gathering-place  of  the 
army  which  was  to  invade  Cuba.  Our  horses  and 
men  were  getting  into  good  shape.  We  were 
well  enough  equipped  to  warrant  our  starting  on 
the  campaign,  and  every  man  was  filled  with 
dread  of  being  out  of  the  fighting.  We  had  a 
pack-train  of  150  mules,  so  we  had  close  on  to 
1,200  animals  to  carry. 

Of  course,  our  train  was  split  up  into  sections, 
seven,  all  told ;  Colonel  Wood  commanding  the 

46 


TO   CUBA 

first  three,  and  I  the  last  four.  The  journey  by 
rail  from  San  Antonio  to  Tampa  took  just  four 
days,  and  I  doubt  if  anybody  who  was  on  the 
trip  will  soon  forget  it.  To  occupy  my  few  spare 
moments,  I  was  reading  M.  Demolins's  "  Supe- 
riorite  des  Anglo-Saxons."  M.  Demolins,  in 
giving  the  reasons  why  the  English-speaking  peo 
ples  are  superior  to  those  of  Continental  Europe, 
lays  much  stress  upon  the  way  in  which  "  militar 
ism  "  deadens  the  power  of  individual  initiative, 
the  soldier  being  trained  to  complete  suppression 
of  individual  will,  while  his  faculties  become 
atrophied  in  consequence  of  his  being  merely  a  cog 
in  a  vast  and  perfectly  ordered  machine.  I  can 
assure  the  excellent  French  publicist  that  Amer 
ican  "  militarism,"  at  least  of  the  volunteer  sort, 
has  points  of  difference  from  the  militarism  of 
Continental  Europe.  The  battalion  chief  of  a 
newly  raised  American  regiment,  when  striving  to 
get  into  a  war  which  the  American  people  have 
undertaken  with  buoyant  and  light-hearted  indif 
ference  to  detail,  has  positively  unlimited  oppor 
tunity  for  the  display  of  "  individual  initiative," 
and  is  in  no  danger  whatever  either  of  suffering 
from  unhealthy  suppression  of  personal  will,  or 
of  finding  his  faculties  of  self-help  numbed  by 
becoming  a  cog  in  a  gigantic  and  smooth-running 
machine.  If  such  a  battalion  chief  wants  to  get 

47 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

anything  or  go  anywhere  he  must  do  it  by  exer 
cising  every  pound  of  resource,  inventiveness, 
and  audacity  he  possesses.  The  help,  advice, 
and  superintendence  he  gets  from  outside  will  be 
of  the  most  general,  not  to  say  superficial,  char 
acter.  If  he  is  a  cavalry  officer,  he  has  got  to 
hurry  and  push  the  purchase  of  his  horses,  plung 
ing  into  and  out  of  the  meshes  of  red-tape  as 
best  he  can.  He  will  have  to  fight  for  his  rifles 
and  his  tents  and  his  clothes.  He  will  have  to 
keep  his  men  healthy  largely  by  the  light  that 
nature  has  given  him.  When  he  wishes  to  em 
bark  his  regiment,  he  will  have  to  fight  for  his 
railway-cars  exactly  as  he  fights  for  his  transport 
when  it  comes  to  going  across  the  sea;  and  on 
his  journey  his  men  will  or  will  not  have  food, 
and  his  horses  will  or  will  not  have  water  and 
hay,  and  the  trains  will  or  will  not  make  connec 
tions,  in  exact  correspondence  to  the  energy  and 
success  of  his  own  efforts  to  keep  things  moving 
straight. 

It  was  on  Sunday,  May  igth,  that  we  marched 
out  of  our  hot,  windy,  dusty  camp  to  take  the 
cars  for  Tampa.  Colonel  Wood  went  first,  with 
the  three  sections  under  his  special  care.  I.  fol 
lowed  with  the  other  four.  The  railway  had 
promised  us  a  forty-eight  hours'  trip,  but  our  ex 
perience  in  loading  was  enough  to  show  that  the 

48 


TO   CUBA 

promise  would  not  be  made  good.  There  were 
no  proper  facilities  for  getting  the  horses  on  or 
off  the  cars,  or  for  feeding  or  watering  them ;  and 
there  was  endless  confusion  and  delay  among  the 
railway  officials.  I  marched  my  four  sections  over 
in  the  afternoon,  the  first  three  having  taken  the 
entire  day  to  get  off.  We  occupied  the  night. 
As  far  as  the  regiment  itself  was  concerned,  we 
worked  an  excellent  system,  Wood  instructing 
me  exactly  how  to  proceed  so  as  to  avoid  confu 
sion.  Being  a  veteran  campaigner,  he  had  all 
along  insisted  that  for  such  work  as  we  had  before 
us  we  must  travel  with  the  minimum  possible 
luggage.  The  men  had  merely  what  they  could 
carry  on  their  own  backs,  and  the  officers  very 
little  more.  My  own  roll  of  clothes  and  bedding 
could  be  put  on  my  spare  horse.  The  mule-train 
was  to  be  used  simply  for  food,  forage,  and  spare 
ammunition.  As  it  turned  out,  we  were  not  al 
lowed  to  take  either  it  or  the  horses. 

It  was  dusk  when  I  marched  my  long  files  of 
dusty  troopers  into  the  station-yard.  I  then  made 
all  dismount,  excepting  the  troop  which  I  first  in 
tended  to  load.  This  was  brought  up  to  the  first 
freight-car.  Here  every  man  unsaddled,  and  left 
his  saddle,  bridle,  and  all  that  he  did  not  himself 
need  in  the  car,  each  individual's  property  being 
corded  together.  A  guard  was  left  in  the  car,  and 

49 


ROUGH   RIDERS 


the  rest  of  the  men  took  the  naked  horses  into  the 
pens  to  be  fed  and  watered.  The  other  troops 
were  loaded  in  the  same  way  in  succession.  With 
each  section  there  were  thus  a  couple  of  baggage- 
cars  in  which  the  horse-gear,  the  superfluous  bag 
gage,  and  the  travel  rations  were  carried;  and  I 
also  put  aboard,  not  only  at  starting,  but  at  every 
other  opportunity,  what  oats  arid  hay  I  could  get, 
so  as  to  provide  against  accidents  for  the  horses. 
By  the  time  the  baggage-cars  were  loaded  the  horses 
of  the  first  section  had  eaten  and  drunk  their  fill, 
and  we  loaded  them  on  cattle-cars.  The  officers 
of  each  troop  saw  to  the  loading,  taking  a  dozen 
picked  men  to  help  them ;  for  some  of  the  wild 
creatures,  half  broken  and  fresh  from  the  ranges, 
were  with  difficulty  driven  up  the  chutes.  Mean 
while  I  superintended  not  merely  my  own  men, 
but  the  railroad  men;  and  when  the  delays  of  the 
latter,  and  their  inability  to  understand  what  was 
necessary,  grew  past  bearing,  I  took  charge  of  the 
trains  myself,  so  as  to  insure  the  horse-cars  of  each 
section  being  coupled  with  the  baggage-cars  of 
that  section. 

We  worked  until  long  past  midnight  before 
we  got  the  horses  and  baggage  aboard,  and  then 
found  that  for  some  reason  the  passenger-cars  were 
delayed  and  would  not  be  out  for  some  hours.  In 
the  confusion  and  darkness  men  of  the  different 

50 


TO   CUBA 

troops  had  become  scattered,  and  some  had  drifted 
off  to  the  vile  drinking-booths  around  the  stock 
yards  ;  so  I  sent  details  to  search  the  latter,  while 
the  trumpeters  blew  the  assembly  until  the  First 
Sergeants  could  account  for  all  the  men.  Then 
the  troops  were  arranged  in  order,  and  the  men 
ch 


of  each  \^down  where  they  were,  by  the  tracks 
and  in  the  £rush,  to  slee^  until  morning. 

At  dawn  the  passenger-trains  arrived.  The  sen 
ior  Captain  of  each  section  saw  to  it  that  his  own 
horses,  troopers,  and  baggage  were  together;  and 
one  by  one  they  started  off,  I  taking  the  last  in 
person.  Captain  Capron  had  at  the  very  begin 
ning  shown  himself  to  be  simply  invaluable,  from 
his  extraordinary  energy,  executive  capacity,  and 
mastery  over  men  ;  and  I  kept  his  section  next 
mine,  so  that  we  generally  came  together  at  the 
different  yards. 

The  next  four  days  were  very  hot  and  very 
dusty.  I  tried  to  arrange  so  the  sections  would 
be  far  enough  apart  to  allow  each  ample  time  to 
unload,  feed,  water,  and  load  the  horses  at  any 
stopping-place  before  the  next  section  could  ar 
rive.  There  was  enough  delay  and  failure  to  make 
connections  on  the  part  of  the  railroad  people  to 
keep  me  entirely  busy,  not  to  speak  of  seeing  at 
the  stopping-places  that  the  inexperienced  officers 
got  enough  hay  for  their  horses,  and  that  the  water 

51 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

given  to  them  was  both  ample  in  quantity  and 
drinkable.  It  happened  that  we  usually  made  our 
longest  stops  at  night,  and  this  meant  that  we  were 
up  all  night  long. 

Two  or  three  times  a  day  I  got  the  men  buck 
ets  of  hot  coffee,  and  when  we  made  a  long  enough 
stop  they  were  allowed  liberty  under  the  supervi 
sion  of  the  non-commissioned  officers.  Some  of 
them  abused  the  privilege,  and  started  to  get 
drunk.  These  were  promptly  handled  with  the 
necessary  severity,  in  the  interest  of  the  others; 
for  it  was  only  by  putting  an  immediate  check  to 
every  form  of  lawlessness  or  disobedience  among 
the  few  men  who  were  inclined  to  be  bad  that 
we  were  enabled  to  give  full  liberty  to  those  who 
would  not  abuse  it. 

Everywhere  the  people  came  out  to  greet  us 
and  cheer  us.  They  brought  us  flowers;  they 
brought  us  watermelons  and  other  fruits,  and 
sometimes  jugs  and  pails  of  milk — all  of  which 
we  greatly  appreciated.  We  were  travelling 
through  a  region  where  practically  all  the  oldei 
men  had  served  in  the  Confederate  Army,  and 
where  the  younger  men  had  all  their  lives  long 
drunk  in  the  endless  tales  told  by  their  elders,  at 
nome,  and  at  the  cross-roads  taverns,  and  in  the 
court-house  squares,  about  the  cavalry  of  Forrest 
and  Morgan  and  the  infantry  of  Jackson  and 

52 


TO   CUBA 

Hood.  The  blood  of  the  old  men  stirred  to  the 
distant  breath  of  battle ;  the  blood  of  the  young 
men  leaped  hot  with  eager  desire  to  accompany 
us.  The  older  women,  who  remembered  the 
dreadful  misery  of  war — the  misery  that  presses 
its  iron  weight  most  heavily  on  the  wives  and  the 
little  ones — looked  sadly  at  us;  but  the  young 
girls  drove  down  in  bevies,  arrayed  in  their  finery, 
to  wave  flags  in  farewell  to  the  troopers  and  to 
beg  cartridges  and  buttons  as  mementos.  Every 
where  we  saw  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  every-  x 
where  we  were  told,  half-laughing,  by  grizzled  ex- 
Confederates  that  they  had  never  dreamed  in  the  by 
gone  days  of  bitterness  to  greet  the  old  flag  as  they 
now  were  greeting  it,  and  to  send  their  sons,  as  now 
they  were  sending  them,  to  fight  and  die  under  it. 
It  was  four  days  later  that  we  disembarked,  in 
a  perfect  welter  of  confusion.  Tampa  lay  in  the 
pine-covered  sand-flats  at  the  end  of  a  one-track 
railroad,  and  everything  connected  with  both  mili 
tary  and  railroad  matters  was  in  an  almost  inex 
tricable  tangle.  There  was  no  one  to  meet  us 
or  to  tell  us  where  we  were  to  camp,  and  no  one 
to  issue  us  food  for  the  first  twenty-four  hours; 
while  the  railroad  people  unloaded  us  wherever 
they  pleased,  or  rather  wherever  the  jam  of  all 
kinds  of  trains  rendered  it  possible.  We  had  to 
buy  the  men  food  out  of  our  own  pockets,  and 

53 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

to  seize  wagons  in  order  to  get  our  spare  bag 
gage  taken  to  the  camping  ground  which  we  at 
last  found  had  been  allotted  to  us. 

Once  on  the  ground,  we  speedily  got  order  out 
of  confusion.  Under  Wood's  eye  the  tents  were 
put  up  in  long  streets,  the  picket-line  of  each 
troop  stretching  down  its  side  of  each  street.  The 
officers'  quarters  were  at  the  upper  ends  of  the 
streets,  the  company  kitchens  and  sinks  at  the 
opposite  ends.  The  camp  was  strictly  policed, 
and  drill  promptly  begun.  For  thirty-six  hours 
we  let  the  horses  rest,  drilling  on  foot,  and  then 
began  the  mounted  drill  again.  The  regiments 
with  which  we  were  afterward  to  serve  were 
camped  near  us,  and  the  sandy  streets  of  the  little 
town  were  thronged  with  soldiers,  almost  all  of 
them  regulars ;  for  there  were  but  one  or  two  vol 
unteer  organizations  besides  ourselves.  The  reg 
ulars  wore  the  canonical  dark  blue  of  Uncle  Sam. 
Our  own  men  were  clad  in  dusty  brown  blouses, 
trousers  and  leggings  being  of  the  same  hue, 
while  the  broad-brimmed  soft  hat  was  of  dark 
gray ;  and  very  workmanlike  they  looked  as,  in 
column  of  fours,  each  troop  trotted  down  its  com 
pany  street  to  form  by  squadron  or  battalion,  the 
troopers  sitting  steadily  in  the  saddles  as  they 
made  their  half-trained  horses  conform  to  the 
movement  of  the  guidons. 

54 


TO   CUBA 

Over  in  Tampa  town  the  huge  winter  hotel 
was  gay  with  general-officers  and  their  staffs,  with 
women  in  pretty  dresses,  with  newspaper  corre 
spondents  by  the  score,  with  military  attaches  of 
foreign  powers,  and  with  onlookers  of  all  sorts; 
but  we  spent  very  little  time  there. 

We  worked  with  the  utmost  industry,  special 
attention  being  given  by  each  troop-commander 
to  skirmish-drill  in  the  woods.  Once  or  twice  we 
had  mounted  drill  of  the  regiment  as  a  whole. 
The  military  attaches  came  out  to  look  on — Eng 
lish,  German,  Russian,  French,  and  Japanese. 
With  the  Englishman,  Captain  Arthur  Lee,  a  cap 
ital  fellow,  we  soon  struck  up  an  especially  close 
friendship;  and  we  saw  much  of  him  through 
out  the  campaign.  So  we  did  of  several  of  the 
newspaper  correspondents  —  Richard  Harding 
Davis,  John  Fox,  Jr.,  Caspar  Whitney,  and  Fred 
eric  Remington.  On  Sunday  Chaplain  Brown, 
of  Arizona,  held  service,  as  he  did  almost  every 
Sunday  during  the  campaign. 

There  were  but  four  or  five  days  at  Tampa, 
however.  We  were  notified  that  the  expedition 
would  start  for  destination  unknown  at  once,  and 
that  we  were  to  go  with  it ;  but  that  our  horses 
were  to  be  left  behind,  and  only  eight  troops  of 
seventy  men  each  taken.  Our  sorrow  at  leaving 
the  horses  was  entirely  outweighed  by  our  joy  at 

55 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

going ;  but  it  was  very  hard  indeed  to  select  the 
four  troops  that  were  to  stay,  and  the  men  who 
had  to  be  left  behind  from  each  of  the  troops  that 
went.  Colonel  Wood  took  Major  Brodie  and 
myself  to  command  the  two  squadrons,  being  al 
lowed  only  two  squadron  commanders.  The  men 
who  were  left  behind  felt  the  most  bitter  heart 
burn.  To  the  great  bulk  of  them  I  think  it  will 
\  be  a  life-long  sorrow.  I  saw  more  than  one,  both 
*  among  the  officers  and  privates,  burst  into  tears 
when  he  found  he  could  not  go.  No  outsider 
can  appreciate  the  bitterness  of  the  disappoint 
ment.  Of  course,  really,  those  that  stayed  were 
entitled  to  precisely  as  much  honor  as  those  that 
went.  Each  man  was  doing  his  duty,  and  much 
the  hardest  and  most  disagreeable  duty  was  to 
stay.  Credit  should  go  with  the  performance  of 
duty,  and  not  with  what  is  very  often  the  acci 
dent  of  glory.  All  this  and  much  more  we  ex 
plained,  but  our  explanations  could  not  alter  the 
fact  that  some  had  to  be  chosen  and  some  had  to 
be  left.  One  of  the  Captains  chosen  was  Captain 
Maximilian  Luna,  who  commanded  Troop  F, 
from  New  Mexico.  The  Captain's  people  had 
been  on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande  before  my 
forefathers  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson  or 
Wood's  landed  at  Plymouth ;  and  he  made  the 
plea  that  it  was  his  right  to  go  as  a  representative 

56 


Troop  H,  shortly  after  Arrival  at  Tampa. 


TO   CUBA 

of  his  race,  for  he  was  the  only  man  of  pure 
Spanish  blood  who  bore  a  commission  in  the 
army,  and  he  demanded  the  privilege  of  proving 
that  his  people  were  precisely  as  loyal  Americans 
as  any  others.  I  was  glad  when  it  was  decided  to 
take  him. 

It  was  the  evening  of  June  yth  when  we  sud 
denly  received  orders  that  the  expedition  was  to 
start  from  Port  Tampa,  nine  miles  distant  by  rail, 
at  daybreak  the  following  morning;  and  that  if 
we  were  not  aboard  our  transport  by  that  time  we 
could  not  go.  We  had  no  intention  of  getting 
left,  and  prepared  at  once  for  the  scramble  which 
was  evidently  about  to  take  place.  As  the  num 
ber  and  capacity  of  the  transports  were  known,  or 
ought  to  have  been  known,  and  as  the  number 
and  size  of  the  regiments  to  go  were  also  known, 
the  task  of  allotting  each  regiment  or  fraction  of 
a  regiment  to  its  proper  transport,  and  arranging 
that  the  regiments  and  the  transports  should  meet 
in  due  order  on  the  dock,  ought  not  to  have  been 
difficult.  However,  no  arrangements  were  made 
in  advance ;  and  we  were  allowed  to  shove  and 
hustle  for  ourselves  as  best  we  could,  on  much  the 
same  principles  that  had  governed  our  prepara 
tions  hitherto. 

We  were  ordered  to  be  at  a  certain  track  with 
all  our  baggage  at  midnight,  there  to  take  a  train 

57 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

for  Port  Tampa.  At  the  appointed  time  we  turned 
up,  but  the  train  did  not.  The  men  slept  heavily, 
while  Wood  and  I  and  various  other  officers  wan 
dered  about  in  search  of  information  which  no  one 
could  give.  We  now  and  then  came  across  a 
Brigadier-General,  or  even  a  Major-General ;  but 
nobody  knew  anything.  Some  regiments  got 
aboard  the  trains  and  some  did  not,  but  as  none 
of  the  trains  started  this  made  little  difference.  At 
three  o'clock  we  received  orders  to  march  over 
to  an  entirely  different  track,  and  away  we  went. 
No  train  appeared  on  this  track  either ;  but  at  six 
o'clock  some  coal-cars  came  by,  and  these  we 
seized.  By  various  arguments  we  persuaded  the 
engineer  in  charge  of  the  train  to  back  us  down 
the  nine  miles  to  Port  Tampa,  where  we  arrived 
covered  with  coal-dust,  but  with  all  our  belong 
ings. 

The  railway  tracks  ran  out  on  the  quay,  and 
the  transports,  which  had  been  anchored  in  mid 
stream,  were  gradually  being  brought  up  along 
side  the  quay  and  loaded.  The  trains  were 
unloading  wherever  they  happened  to  be,  no  atten 
tion  whatever  being  paid  to  the  possible  position 
of  the  transport  on  which  the  soldiers  were  to  go. 
Colonel  Wood  and  I  jumped  off  and  started  on  a 
hunt,  which  soon  convinced  us  that  we  had  our 
work  cut  out  if  we  were  to  get  a  transport  at  all. 

58 


TO   CUBA 

From  the  highest  General  down,  nobody  could 
tell  us  where  to  go  to  find  out  what  transport  we 
were  to  have.  At  last  we  were  informed  that  we 
were  to  hunt  up  the  depot  quartermaste^  Colonel 
Humphrey.  We  found  his  office,  where  his  as 
sistant  informed  us  that  he  didn't  know  where  the 
Colonel  was,  but  believed  him  to  be  asleep  upon 
one  of  the  transports.  This  seemed  odd  at  such 
a  time ;  but  so  many  of  the  methods  in  vogue 
were  odd,  that  we  were  quite  prepared  to  accept 
it  as  a  fact.  However,  it  proved  not  to  be  such ; 
but  for  an  hour  Colonel  Humphrey  might  just  as 
well  have  been  asleep,  as  nobody  knew  where  he 
was  and  nobody  could  find  him,  and  the  quay 
was  crammed  with  some  ten  thousand  men,  most 
of  whom  were  working  at  cross  purposes. 

At  last,  however,  after  over  an  hour's  industri 
ous  and  rapid  search  through  this  swarming  ant- 
heap  of  humanity,  Wood  and  I,  who  had  sepa 
rated,  found  Colonel  Humphrey  at  nearly  the 
same  time  and  were  alloted  a  transport — the  Yu 
catan.  She  was  out  in  midstream,  so  Wood 
seized  a  stray  launch  and  boarded  her.  At  the 
same  time  I  happened  to  find  out  that  she  had 
previously  been  allotted  to  two  other  regiments — 
the  Second  Regular  Infantry  and  the  Seventy- 
first  New  York  Volunteers,  which  latter  regiment 
alone  contained  more  men  than  could  be  put 

59 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

aboard  her.  Accordingly,  I  ran  at  full  speed  to 
our  train ;  and  leaving  a  strong  guard  with  the 
baggage,  I  double-quicked  the  rest  of  the  regi 
ment  up  to  the  boat,  just  in  time  to  board  her  as 
she  came  into  the  quay,  and  then  to  hold  her 
against  the  Second  Regulars  and  the  Seventy-first, 
who  had  arrived  a  little  too  late,  being  a  shade 
less  ready  than  we  were  in  the  matter  of  individual 
initiative.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  expostula 
tion,  but  we  had  possession ;  and  as  the  ship  could 
not  contain  half  of  the  men  who  had  been  told  to 
go  aboard  her,  the  Seventy-first  went  away,  as  did 
all  but  four  companies  of  the  Second.  These  lat 
ter  we  took  aboard.  Meanwhile  a  General  had 
caused  our  train  to  be  unloaded  at  the  end  of  the 
quay  farthest  from  where  the  ship  was ;  and  the 
hungry,  tired  men  spent  most  of  the  day  in  the 
labor  of  bringing  down  their  baggage  and  the 
food  and  ammunition. 

The  officers'  horses  were  on  another  boat,  my 
own  being  accompanied  by  my  colored  body- 
servant,  Marshall,  the  most  faithful  and  loyal  of 
men,  himself  an  old  soldier  of  the  Ninth  Cavalry. 
Marshall  had  been  in  Indian  campaigns,  and  he 
christened  my  larger  horse  "  Rain-in-the-Face," 
while  the  other,  a  pony,  went  by  the  name  of 
"  Texas." 

By  the  time  that  night  fell,  and  our  transport 
60 


Scene  on  the  Dock  at  Port  Tampa  on  the  Day  of  Sailing  of  the  Transports. 


TO   CUBA 

pulled  off  and  anchored  in  midstream,  we  felt  we 
had  spent  thirty-six  tolerably  active  hours.  The 
transport  was  overloaded,  the  men  being  packed 
like  sardines,  not  only  below  but  upon  the  decks ;  so 
that  at  night  it  was  only  possible  to  walk  about  by 
continually  stepping  over  the  bodies  of  the  sleep 
ers.  The  travel  rations  which  had  been  issued  to 
the  men  for  the  voyage  were  not  sufficient,  be 
cause  the  meat  was  very  bad  indeed ;  and  when  a 
ration  consists  of  only  four  or  five  items,  which 
taken  together  just  meet  the  requirements  of  a 
strong  and  healthy  man,  the  loss  of  one  item  is  a 
serious  thing.  If  we  had  been  given  canned  corn- 
beef  we  would  have  been  all  right,  but  instead  of 
this  the  soldiers  were  issued  horrible  stuff  called 
"  canned  fresh  beef."  There  was  no  salt  in  it.  At 
the  best  it  was  stringy  and  tasteless ;  at  the  worst 
it  was  nauseating.  Not  one-fourth  of  it  was  ever 
eaten  at  all,  even  when  the  men  became  very 
hungry.  There  were  no  facilities  for  the  men  to 
cook  anything.  There  was  no  ice  for  them ;  the 
water  was  not  good ;  and  they  had  no  fresh  meat 
or  fresh  vegetables. 

However,  all  these  things  seemed  of  small  ftn_ 
portance  compared  with  the  fact  that  we  were 
really  embarked,  and  were  with  the  first  expedi 
tion  to  leave  our  shores.  But  by  next  morning 
came  the  news  that  the  order  to  sail  had  been 

61 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

countermanded,  and  that  we  were  to  stay  where 
we  were  for  the  time  being.  What  this  meant 
none  of  us  could  understand.  It  turned  out  later 
to  be  due  to  the  blunder  of  a  naval  officer  who 
mistook  some  of  our  vessels  for  Spaniards,  and  by 
his  report  caused  consternation  in  Washington, 
until  by  vigorous  scouting  on  the  part  of  our 
other  ships  the  illusion  was  dispelled. 

Meanwhile  the  troop-ships,  packed  tight  with 
their  living  freight,  sweltered  in  the  burning  heat 
of  Tampa  Harbor.  There  was  nothing  whatever 
for  the  men  to  do,  space  being  too  cramped  for 
amusement  or  for  more  drill  than  was  implied  in 
the  manual  of  arms.  In  this  we  drilled  them  as 
siduously,  and  we  also  continued  to  hold  school 
for  both  the  officers  and  the  non-commissioned 
officers.  Each  troop  commander  was  regarded  as 
responsible  for  his  own  non-commissioned  officers, 
and  Wood  or  myself  simply  dropped  in  to  super 
intend,  just  as  we  did  with  the  manual  at  arms. 
In  the  officers'  school  Captain  Capron  was  the 
special  instructor,  and  a  most  admirable  one  he 
ivas. 

The  heat,  the  steaming  discomfort,  and  the 
confinement,  together  with  the  forced  inaction, 
were  very  irksome ;  but  everyone  made  the  best 
of  it,  and  there  was  little  or  no  grumbling  even 
among  the  men.  All,  from  the  highest  to  the  low- 

62 


TO    CUBA 

est,  were  bent  upon  perfecting  themselves  accord 
ing  to  their  slender  opportunities.  Every  book  of 
tactics  in  the  regiment  was  in  use  from  morning 
until  night,  and  the  officers  and  non-commissioned 
officers  were  always  studying  the  problems  pre 
sented  at  the  schools.  About  the  only  amusement 
was  bathing  over  the  side,  in  which  we  indulged 
both  in  the  morning  and  evening.  Many  of  the 
men  from  the  Far  West  had  never  seen  the  ocean. 
One  of  them  who  knew  how  to  swim  was  much 
interested  in  finding  that  the  ocean  water  was  not 
drinkable.  Another,  who  had  never  in  his  life  be 
fore  seen  any  water  more  extensive  that  the  head- 
stream  of  the  Rio  Grande,  met  with  an  accident 
later  in  the  voyage;  that  is,  his  hat  blew  away 
while  we  were  in  mid-ocean,  and  I  heard  him  ex 
plaining  the  accident  to  a  friend  in  the  following 
words :  "  Oh-o-h,  Jim !  Ma  hat  blew  into  the 
creek  ! "  So  we  lay  for  nearly  a  week,  the  vessels 
swinging  around  on  their  anchor  chains,  while  the 
hot  water  of  the  bay  flowed  to  and  fro  around 
them  and  the  sun  burned  overhead. 

At  last,  on  the  evening  of  June  13th,  we  re 
ceived  the  welcome  order  to  start.  Ship  after 
ship  weighed  anchor  and  went  slowly  ahead  under 
half-steam  for  the  distant  mouth  of  the  harbor,  the 
bands  playing,  the  flags  flying,  the  rigging  black 
with  the  clustered  soldiers,  cheering  and  shouting 

63 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

to  those  left  behind  on  the  quay  and  to  their  fel 
lows  on  the  other  ships.  The  channel  was  very 
tortuous;  and  we  anchored  before  we  had  gone 
far  down  it,  after  coming  within  an  ace  of  a  bad 
collision  writh  another  transport.  The  next  morn 
ing  we  were  all  again  under  way,  and  in  the  after 
noon  the  great  fleet  steamed  southeast  until 
Tampa  Light  sank  in  the  distance. 

For  the  next  six  days  we  sailed  steadily  south 
ward  and  eastward  through  the  wonderful  sap 
phire  seas  of  the  West  Indies.  The  thirty  odd 
transports  moved  in  long  parallel  lines,  while 
ahead  and  behind  and  on  their  flanks  the  gray 
hulls  of  the  war-ships  surged  through  the  blue 
water.  We  had  every  variety  of  craft  to  guard 
us,  from  the  mighty  battle-ship  and  swift  cruiser 
to  the  converted  yachts  and  the  frail,  venomous- 
looking  torpedo-boats.  The  war-ships  watched 
with  ceaseless  vigilance  by  day  and  night.  When 
a  sail  of  any  kind  appeared,  instantly  one  of  our 
guardians  steamed  toward  it.  Ordinarily,  the  tor 
pedo-boats  were  towed.  Once  a  strange  ship 
steamed  up  too  close,  and  instantly  the  nearest 
torpedo-boat  was  slipped  like  a  greyhound  from 
the  leash,  and  sped  across  the  water  toward  it; 
but  the  stranger  proved  harmless,  and  the  swift, 
delicate,  death-fraught  craft  returned  again. 

It  was  very  pleasant,  sailing  southward  through 
64 


Transport  No.  8— Yucatan,  with  Rough  Riders  on  Board,  off  for  Cuba. 


TO   CUBA 

the  tropic  seas  toward  the  unknown.  We  kneu 
not  whither  we  were  bound,  nor  what  we  were  to 
do;  but  we  believed  that  the  nearing  future  held 
for  us  many  chances  of  death  and  hardship,  of 
honor  and  renown.  If  we  failed,  we  would  share 
the  fate  of  all  who  fail ;  but  we  were  sure  that  we 
would  win,  that  we  should  score  the  first  great  tri 
umph  in  a  mighty  world-movement.  At  night  we 
looked  at  the  new  stars,  and  hailed  the  Southern 
Cross  when  at  last  we  raised  it  above  the  horizon. 
In  the  daytime  we  drilled,  and  in  the  evening  we 
held  officers'  school ;  but  there  was  much  time 
when  we  had  little  to  do,  save  to  scan  the  won 
derful  blue  sea  and  watch  the  flying-fish.  Toward 
evening,  when  the  officers  clustered  together  on 
the  forward  bridge,  the  band  of  the  Second  Infan 
try  played  tune  after  tune,  until  on  our  quarter 
the  glorious  sun  sunk  in  the  red  west,  and,  one 
by  one,  the  lights  blazed  out  on  troop-ship  and 
war-ship  for  miles  ahead  and  astern,  as  they 
steamed  onward  through  the  brilliant  tropic  night. 
The  men  on  the  ship  were  young  and  strong, 
eager  to  face  what  lay  hidden  before  them,  eager 
for  adventure  where  risk  was  the  price  of  gain. 
Sometimes  they  talked  of  what  they  might  do  in 
the  future,  and  wondered  whether  we  were  to  at 
tack  Santiago  or  Porto  Rico.  At  other  times,  as 
they  lounged  in  groups,  they  told  stories  of  their 

65 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

past — stories  of  the  mining  camps  and  the  cattle 
ranges,  of  hunting  bear  and  deer,  of  war-trails 
against  the  Indians,  of  lawless  deeds  of  violence 
and  the  lawful  violence  by  which  they  were 
avenged,  of  brawls  in  saloons,  of  shrewd  deals  in 
cattle  and  sheep,  of  successful  quest  for  the  pre 
cious  metals ;  stories  of  brutal  wrong  and  brutal 
appetite,  melancholy  love-tales,  and  memories  of 
nameless  heroes — masters  of  men  and  tamers  of 
horses. 

The  officers,  too,  had  many  strange  experiences 
to  relate ;  none,  not  even  Llewellen  or  O'Neill, 
had  been  through  what  was  better  worth  telling, 
or  could  tell  it  better,  than  Capron.  He  had  spent 
years  among  the  Apaches,  the  wildest  and  fiercest 
of  tribes,  and  again  and  again  had  owed  his  life 
to  his  own  cool  judgment  and  extraordinary  per 
sonal  prowess.  He  knew  the  sign  language,  fa 
miliar  to  all  the  Indians  of  the  mountains  and  the 
plains;  and  it  was  curious  to  find  that  the  signs 
for  different  animals,  for  water,  for  sleep  and  death, 
which  he  knew  from  holding  intercourse  with  the 
tribes  of  the  Southeast,  were  exactly  like  those 
which  I  had  picked  up  on  my  occasional  hunting 
or  trading  trips  among  the  Sioux  and  Mandans 
of  the  North.  He  was  a  great  rifle  shot  and  wolf 
hunter,  and  had  many  tales  to  tell  of  the  deeds  of 
gallant  hounds  and  the  feats  of  famous  horses. 

66 


TO   CUBA 

He  had  handled  his  Indian  scouts  and  dealt  with 
the  "bronco"  Indians,  the  renegades  from  the 
tribes,  in  circumstances  of  extreme  peril ;  for  he 
had  seen  the  sullen,  moody  Apaches  when  they 
suddenly  went  crazy  with  wolfish  blood-lust,  and 
in  their  madness  wished  to  kill  whomever  was 
nearest.  He  knew,  so  far  as  white  man  could 
know,  their  ways  of  thought,  and  how  to  humor 
and  divert  them  when  on  the  brink  of  some  dan 
gerous  outbreak.  Capron's  training  and  temper 
fitted  him  to  do  great  work  in  war;  and  he  looked 
forward  with  eager  confidence  to  what  the  future 
held,  for  he  was  sure  that  for  him  it  held  either 
triumph  or  death.  Death  was  the  prize  he  drew. 
Most  of  the  men  had  simple  souls.  They  could 
relate  facts,  but  they  said  very  little  about  what 
they  dimly  felt.  Bucky  O'Neill,  however,  the 
iron-nerved,  iron-willed  fighter  from  Arizona,  the 
Sheriff  whose  name  was  a  by-word  of  terror  to 
every  wrong-doer,  white  or  red,  the  gambler  who 
with  unmoved  face  would  stake  and  lose  every 
dollar  he  had  in  the  world — he,  alone  among  his 
comrades,  was  a  visionary,  an  articulate  emotion 
alist.  He  was  very  quiet  about  it,  never  talking 
unless  he  was  sure  of  his  listener;  but  at  night, 
when  we  leaned  on  the  railing  to  look  at  the 
Southern  Cross,  he  was  less  apt  to  tell  tales  of 
his  hard  and  stormy  past  than  he  was  to  speak  of 

67 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

the  mysteries  which  lie  behind  courage,  and  fears 
and  love,  behind  animal  hatred,  and  animal  lust 
for  the  pleasures  that  have  tangible  shape.  He 
had  keenly  enjoyed  life,  and  he  could  breast  its 
turbulent  torrent  as  few  men  could;  he  was  a 
practical  man,  who  knew  how  to  wrest  personal 
success  from  adverse  forces,  among  money-makers, 
politicians,  and  desperadoes  alike ;  yet,  down  at 
bottom,  what  seemed  to  interest  him  most  was 
the  philosophy  of  life  itself,  of  our  understanding 
of  it,  and  of  the  limitations  set  to  that  understand 
ing.  But  he  was  as  far  as  possible  from  being  a 
mere  dreamer  of  dreams.  A  stanchly  loyal  and 
generous  friend,  he  was  also  exceedingly  ambi 
tious  on  his  own  account.  If,  by  risking  his  life, 
no  matter  how  great  the  risk,  he  could  gain  high 
military  distinction,  he  was  bent  on  gaining  it. 
He  had  taken  so  many  chances  when  death  lay 
on  the  hazard,  that  he  felt  the  odds  were  now 
against  him ;  but,  said  he,  "  Who  would  not  risk 
his  life  for  a  star?"  Had  he  lived,  and  had  the 
war  lasted,  he  would  surely  have  won  the  eagle, 
if  not  the  star. 

We  had  a  good  deal  of  trouble  with  the  trans 
ports,  chiefly  because  they  were  not  under  the 
control  of  the  navy.  One  of  them  was  towing  a 
schooner,  and  another  a  scow ;  both,  of  course, 
kept  lagging  behind.  Finally,  when  we  had  gone 

68 


TO   CUBA 

nearly  the  length  of  Cuba,  the  transport  with  the 
schooner  sagged  very  far  behind,  and  then  our 
wretched  transport  was  directed  by  General 
Shafter  to  fall  out  of  line  and  keep  her  company. 
Of  course,  we  executed  the  order,  greatly  to  the 
wrath  of  Captain  Clover,  who,  in  the  gunboat 
Bancroft,  had  charge  of  the  rear  of  the  column — 
for  we  could  be  of  no  earthly  use  to  the  other 
transport,  and  by  our  presence  simply  added  just 
so  much  to  Captain  Clover's  anxiety,  as  he  had 
two  transports  to  protect  instead  of  one.  Next 
morning  the  rest  of  the  convo^  were  out  of 
sight,  but  we  reached  them  just  as  they  finally 
turned. 

Until  this  we  had  steamed  with  the  trade-wind 
blowing  steadily  in  our  faces ;  but  once  we  were 
well  to  eastward  of  Cuba,  we  ran  southwest  with 
the  wind  behind  on  our  quarter,  and  we  all  knew 
that  our  destination  was  Santiago.  On  the  morn 
ing  of  the  2oth  we  were  close  to  the  Cuban  coast. 
High  mountains  rose  almost  from  the  water's  edge, 
looking  huge  and  barren  across  the  sea.  We  sped 
onward  past  Guantanamo  Bay,  where  we  saw  the 
little  picket-ships  of  the  fleet ;  and  in  the  afternoon 
we  sighted  Santiago  Harbor,  with  the  great  war 
ships  standing  off  and  on  in  front  of  it,  gray  and 
sullen  in  their  war-paint. 

All  next  day  we  rolled  and  wallowed  in  the 

6Q 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

seaway,  waiting  until  a  decision  was  reached  as  to 
where  we  should  land.  On  the  morning  of  June 
22d  the  welcome  order  for  landing  came. 

We  did  the  landing  as  we  had  done  everything 
else — that  is,  in  a  scramble,  each  commander  shift 
ing  for  himself.  The  port  at  which  we  landed 
was  called  Daiquiri,  a  squalid  little  village  where 
there  had  been  a  railway  and  iron-works.  There 
were  no  facilities  for  landing,  and  the  fleet  did 
not  have  a  quarter  the  number  of  boats  it  should 
have  had  for  the  purpose.  All  we  could  do  was 
to  stand  in  with  the  transports  as  close  as  possible, 
and  then  row  ashore  in  our  own  few  boats  and  the 
boats  of  the  war-ships.  Luck  favored  our  regi 
ment.  My  former  naval  aide,  while  I  was  Assistant 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Lieutenant  Sharp,  was  in 
command  of  the  Vixen,  a  converted  yacht;  and 
everything  being  managed  on  the  go-as-you-please 
principle,  he  steamed  by  us  and  offered  to  help 
put  us  ashore.  Of  course,  we  jumped  at  the 
chance.  Wood  and  I  boarded  the  Vixen,  and 
there  we  got  Lieutenant  Sharp's  black  Cuban 
pilot,  who  told  us  he  could  take  our  transport 
right  in  to  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  land. 
Accordingly,  we  put  him  aboard;  and  in  he 
brought  her,  gaining  at  least  a  mile  and  a  half  by 
the  manoeuvre.  The  other  transports  followed; 
but  we  had  our  berth,  and  were  all  right. 

70 


TO   CUBA 

There  was  plenty  of  excitement  to  the  landing. 
In  the  first  place,  the  smaller  war-vessels  shelled 
Daiquiri,  so  as  to  dislodge  any  Spaniards  who 
might  be  lurking  in  the  neighborhood,  and  also 
shelled  other  places  along  the  coast,  to  keep  the 
enemy  puzzled  as  to  our  intentions.  Then  the 
surf  was  high,  and  the  landing  difficult;  so  that 
the  task  of  getting  the  men,  the  ammunition,  and 
provisions  ashore  was  not  easy.  Each  man  carried 
three  days'  field  rations  and  a  hundred  rounds  of 
ammunition.  Our  regiment  had  accumulated  two 
rapid-fire  Colt  automatic  guns,  the  gift  of  Stevens, 
Kane,  Tiffany,  and  one  or  two  others  of  the  New 
York  men,  and  also  a  dynamite  gun,  under  the 
immediate  charge  of  Sergeant  Borrowe.  To  get 
these,  and  especially  the  last,  ashore,  involved  no 
little  work  and  hazard.  Meanwhile,  from  another 
transport,  our  horses  were  being  landed,  together 
with  the  mules,  by  the  simple  process  of  throwing 
<"hem  overboard  and  letting  them  swim  ashore,  if 
they  could.  Both  of  Wood's  got  safely  through. 
One  of  mine  was  drowned.  The  other,  little 
Texas,  got  ashore  all  right.  While  I  was  super 
intending  the  landing  at  the  ruined  dock,  with 
Bucky  O'Neill,  a  boatful  of  colored  infantry  sol 
diers  capsized,  and  two  of  the  men  went  to  the 
bottom ;  Bucky  O'Neill  plunging  in,  in  full  uni 
form,  to  save  them,  but  in  vain. 

V 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

However,  by  the  late  afternoon  we  had  all  our 
men,  with  what  ammunition  and  provisions  they 
could  themselves  carry,  landed,  and  were  ready 
for  anything  that  might  turn  up. 


a 

"rt 

be 


Ill 

GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT   AT   LAS  GUASIMAS 

JUST   before    leaving   Tampa  we    had    been 
brigaded  with  the  First  (white)  and  Tenth 
(colored)  Regular  Cavalry  under  Brigadier- 
General  S.  B.  M.  Young.     We  were  the  Second 
Brigade,  the  First  Brigade  consisting  of  the  Third 
and  Sixth  (white),  and  the  Ninth  (colored)  Regu 
lar    Cavalry    under    Brigadier-General    Sumner. 
The   two   brigades  of  the  cavalry  division  were 
under  Major-General  Joseph  Wheeler,  the  gal 
lant  old  Confederate  cavalry  commander. 

General  Young  was — and  is — as  fine  a  type  of 
the  American  fighting  soldier  as  a  man  can  hope 
to  see.  He  had  been  in  command,  as  Colonel, 
of  the  Yellowstone  National  Park,  and  I  had  seen 
a  good  deal  of  him  in  connection  therewith,  as  I 
was  President  of  the  Boone  and  Crockett  Club, 
an  organization  devoted  to  hunting  big  game,  to 
its  preservation,  and  to  forest  preservation.  Dur 
ing  the  preceding  winter,  while  he  was  in  Wash 
ington,  he  had  lunched  with  me  at  the  Metro 
politan  Club,  Wood  being  one  of  the  other 

73 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

guests.  Of  course,  we  talked  of  the  war,  which 
all  of  us  present  believed  to  be  impending,  and 
Wood  and  I  told  him  we  were  going  to  make 
every  effort  to  get  in,  somehow ;  and  he  answered 
that  we  must  be  sure  to  get  into  his  brigade,  if  he 
had  one,  and  he  would  guarantee  to  show  us  fight 
ing.  None  of  us  forgot  the  conversation.  As 
soon  as  our  regiment  was  raised  General  Young 
applied  for  it  to  be  put  in  his  brigade.  We  were 
put  in;  and  he  made  his  word  good;  for  he 
fought  and  won  the  first  fight  on  Cuban  soil. 

Yet,  even  though  under  him,  we  should  not 
have  been  in  this  fight  at  all  if  we  had  not  taken 
advantage  of  the  chance  to  disembark  among  the 
first  troops,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  Wood's 
energy  in  pushing  our  regiment  to  the  front. 

On  landing  we  spent  some  active  hours  in 
marching  our  men  a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  so 
inland,  as  boat-load  by  boat-load  they  disem 
barked.  Meanwhile  one  of  the  men,  Knoblauch, 
a  New  Yorker,  who  was  a  great  athlete  and  a 
champion  swimmer,  by  diving  in  the  surf  off  the 
dock,  recovered  most  of  the  rifles  which  had  been 
lost  when  the  boat-load  of  colored  cavalry  capsized. 
The  country  would  have  offered  very  great  diffi 
culties  to  an  attacking  force  had  there  been  resist 
ance.  It  was  little  but  a  mass  of  rugged  and 
precipitous  hills,  covered  for  the  most  part  by 

74 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

dense  jungle.  Five  hundred  resolute  men  could 
have  prevented  the  disembarkation  at  very  little 
cost  to  themselves.  There  had  been  about  that 
number  of  Spaniards  at  Daiquiri  that  morning, 
but  they  had  fled  even  before  the  ships  began 
shelling.  In  their  place  we  found  hundreds  of 
Cuban  insurgents,  a  crew  of  as  utter  tatterdema 
lions  as  human  eyes  ever  looked  on,  armed  with 
every  kind  of  rifle  in  all  stages  of  dilapidation. 
It  was  evident,  at  a  glance,  that  they  would  be  no 
use  in  serious  fighting,  but  it  was  hoped  that  they 
might  be  of  service  in  scouting.  From  a  variety 
of  causes,  however,  they  turned  out  to  be  nearly 
useless,  even  for  this  purpose,  so  far  as  the  Santi 
ago  campaign  was  concerned. 

We  were  camped  on  a  dusty,  brush-covered 
flat,  with  jungle  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other  a 
shallow,  fetid  pool  fringed  with  palm-trees.  Huge 
land-crabs  scuttled  noisily  through  the  underbrush, 
exciting  much  interest  among  the  men.  Camp 
ing  was  a  simple  matter,  as  each  man  carried  all 
he  had,  and  the  officers  had  nothing.  I  took  a 
light  mackintosh  and  a  tooth-brush.  Fortunately, 
that  night  it  did  not  rain;  and  from  the  palm- 
leaves  we  built  shelters  from  the  sun. 

General  Lawton,  a  tall,  fine-looking  man,  had 
taken  the  advance.  A  thorough  soldier,  he  at 
once  established  outposts  and  pushed  reconnoi- 

75 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

tring  parties  ahead  on  the  trails.  He  had  as  little 
baggage  as  the  rest  of  us.  Our  own  Brigade- 
Commander,  General  Young,  had  exactly  the 
same  impedimenta  that  I  had,  namely,  a  mackin 
tosh  and  a  tooth-brush. 

Next  morning  we  were  hard  at  work  trying  to 
get  the  stuff  unloaded  from  the  ship,  and  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  most  of  it  ashore,  but  were 
utterly  unable  to  get  transportation  for  anything 
but  a  very  small  quantity.  The  great  shortcom 
ing  throughout  the  campaign  was  the  utterly  in 
adequate  transportation.  If  we  had  been  allowed 
to  take  our  mule-train,  we  could  have  kept  the 
whole  cavalry  division  supplied. 

In  the  afternoon  word  came  to  us  to  march. 
General  Wheeler,  a  regular  game-cock,  was  as 
anxious  as  Lawton  to  get  first  blood,  and  he  was 
bent  upon  putting  the  cavalry  division  to  the 
front  as  quickly  as  possible.  Lawton's  advance- 
guard  was  in  touch  with  the  Spaniards,  and  there 
had  been  a  skirmish  between  the  latter  and  some 
Cubans,  who  were  repulsed.  General  Wheeler 
made  a  reconnoissance  in  person,  found  out  where 
the  enemy  was,  and  directed  General  Young  to 
take  our  brigade  and  move  forward  so  as  to  strike 
him  next  morning.  He  had  the  power  to  do 
this,  as  when  General  Shafter  was  afloat  he  had 
command  ashore. 

76 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

I  had  succeeded  in  finding  Texas,  my  surviv 
ing  horse,  much  the  worse  for  his  fortnight  on  the 
transport  and  his  experience  in  getting  off,  but 
still  able  to  carry  me. 

It  was  mid-afternoon  and  the  topic  sun  was 
beating  fiercely  down  when  Colonel  Wood  started 
our  regiment — the  First  and  Tenth  Cavalry  and 
some  of  the  infantry  regiments  having  already 
marched.  Colonel  Wood  himself  rode  in  ad 
vance,  while  I  led  my  squadron,  and  Major 
Brodie  followed  with  his.  It  was  a  hard  march, 
the  hilly  jungle  trail  being  so  narrow  that  often 
we  had  to  go  in  single  file.  We  marched  fast, 
for  Wood  was  bound  to  get  us  ahead  of  the  other 
regiments,  so  as  to  be  sure  of  our  place  in  the 
body  that  struck  the  enemy  next  morning.  If  it 
had  not  been  for  his  energy  in  pushing  forward, 
we  should  certainly  have  missed  the  fight.  As  it 
was,  we  did  not  halt  until  we  were  at  the  extreme 
front. 

The  men  were  not  in  very  good  shape  for 
marching,  and  moreover  they  were  really  horse 
men,  the  majority  being  cowboys  who  had  never 
done  much  walking.  The  heat  was  intense  and 
their  burdens  very  heavy.  Yet  there  was  very 
little  straggling.  Whenever  we  halted  they 
instantly  took  off  their  packs  and  threw  them 
selves  on  their  backs.  Then  at  the  word  to  start 

77 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

they  would  spring  into  place  again.  The  cap 
tains  and  lieutenants  tramped  along,  encouraging 
the  men  by  example  and  word.  A  good  part  of 
the  time  I  was  by  Captain  Llewellen,  and  was 
greatly  pleased  to  see  the  way  in  which  he  kept 
his  men  up  to  their  work.  He  never  pitied  or 
coddled  his  troopers,  but  he  always  looked  after 
them.  He  helped  them  whenever  he  could,  and 
took  rather  more  than  his  full  share  of  hardship 
and  danger,  so  that  his  men  naturally  followed 
him  with  entire  devotion.  Jack  Greenway  was 
under  him  as  lieutenant,  and  to  him  the  entire 
march  was  nothing  but  an  enjoyable  outing,  the 
chance  of  fight  on  the  morrow  simply  adding  the 
needed  spice  of  excitement. 

It  was  long  after  nightfall  when  we  tramped 
through  the  darkness  into  the  squalid  coast  ham 
let  of  Siboney.  As  usual  when  we  made  a  night 
camp,  we  simply  drew  the  men  up  in  column  of 
troops,  and  then  let  each  man  lie  down  where  he 
was.  Black  thunder-clouds  were  gathering.  Be 
fore  they  broke  the  fires  were  made  and  the  men 
cooked  their  coffee  and  pork,  some  frying  the 
hard-tack  with  the  pork.  The  officers,  of  course, 
fared  just  as  the  men  did.  Hardly  had  we  finished 
eating  when  the  rain  came,  a  regular  tropic  down 
pour.  We  sat  about,  sheltering  ourselves  as  best 
we  could,  for  the  hour  or  two  it  lasted ;  then  the 

78 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

fires  were  relighted  and  we  closed  around  them, 
the  men  taking  off  their  wet  things  to  dry  them, 
so  far  as  possible,  by  the  blaze. 

Wood  had  gone  off  to  see  General  Young,  as 
General  Wheeler  had  instructed  General  Young 
to  hit  the  Spaniards,  who  were  about  four  miles 
away,  as  soon  after  daybreak  as  possible.  Mean 
while  I  strolled  over  to  Captain  Capron's  troop. 
He  and  I,  with  his  two  lieutenants,  Day  and 
Thomas,  stood  around  the  fire,  together  with  two 
or  three  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates; 
among  the  latter  were  Sergeant  Hamilton  Fish 
and  Trooper  Elliot  Cowdin,  both  of  New  York. 
Cowdin,  together  with  two  other  troopers,  Harry 
Thorpe  and  Munro  Ferguson,  had  been  on  my 
Oyster  Bay  Polo  Team  some  years  before. 
'Hamilton  Fish  had  already  shown  himself  one  of 
the  best  non-commissioned  officers  we  had.  A 
huge  fellow,  of  enormous  strength  and  endurance 
and  dauntless  courage,  he  took  naturally  to  a  sol 
dier's  life.  He  never  complained  and  never 
shirked  any  duty  of  any  kind,  while  his  power 
over  his  men  was  great.  So  good  a  sergeant  had 
he  made  that  Captain  Capron,  keen  to  get  the 
best  men  under  him,  took  him  when  he  left 
Tampa — for  Fish's  troop  remained  behind.  As 
we  stood  around  the  flickering  blaze  that  night  I 
caught  myself  admiring  the  splendid  bodily  vigor 

79 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

of  Capron  and  Fish — the  captain  and  the  ser 
geant.  Their  frames  seemed  of  steel,  to  with 
stand  all  fatigue ;  they  were  flushed  with  health ; 
in  their  eyes  shone  high  resolve  and  fiery  desire. 
Two  finer  types  of  the  fighting  man,  two  better 
representatives  of  the  American  soldier,  there  were 
not  in  the  whole  army.  Capron  was  going  over 
his  plans  for  the  fight  when  we  should  meet  the 
Spaniards  on  the  morrow,  Fish  occasionally  ask 
ing  a  question.  They  were  both  filled  with 
eager  longing  to  show  their  mettle,  and  both  were 
rightly  confident  that  if  they  lived  they  would  win 
honorable  renown  and  would  rise  high  in  their 
chosen  profession.  Within  twelve  hours  they 
both  were  dead. 

I  had  lain  down  when  toward  midnight  Wood 
returned.  He  had  gone  over  the  whole  plan  with 
General  Young.  We  were  to  start  by  sunrise 
toward  Santiago,  General  Young  taking  four 
troops  of  the  Tenth  and  four  troops  of  the  First 
up  the  road  which  led  through  the  valley ;  while 
Colonel  Wood  was  to  lead  our  eight  troops  along 
a  hill-trail  to  the  left,  which  joined  the  valley  road 
about  four  miles  on,  at  a  point  where  the  road 
went  over  a  spur  of  the  mountain  chain  and  from 
thence  went  down  hill  toward  Santiago.  The 
Spaniards  had  their  lines  at  the  junction  of  the 
road  and  the  trail. 

80 


Brigadier-General  S.  B.  M.  Young. 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

Before  describing  our  part  in  the  fight,  it  is 
necessary  to  say  a  word  about  General  Young's 
share,  for,  of  course,  the  whole  fight  was  under 
his  direction,  and  the  fight  on  the  right  wing  un 
der  his  immediate  supervision.  General  Young 
had  obtained  from  General  Castillo,  the  com 
mander  of  the  Cuban  forces,  a  full  description  of 
the  country  in  front.  General  Castillo  promised 
Young  the  aid  of  eight  hundred  Cubans,  if  he 
made  a  reconnoissance  in  force  to  find  out  exactly 
what  the  Spanish  strength  was.  This  promised 
Cuban  aid  did  not,  however,  materialize,  the 
Cubans,  who  had  been  beaten  back  by  the  Span 
iards  the  day  before,  not  appearing  on  the  firing- 
line  until  the  fight  was  over. 

General  Young  had  in  his  immediate  command 
a  squadron  of  the  First  Regular  Cavalry,  two  hun 
dred  and  forty-four  strong,  under  the  command  of 
Major  Bell,  and  a  squadron  of  the  Tenth  Regular 
Cavalry,  two  hundred  and  twenty  strong,  under 
the  command  of  Major  Norvell.  He  also  had 
two  Hotchkiss  mountain  guns,  under  Captain 
Watson  of  the  Tenth.  He  started  at  a  quarter 
before  six  in  the  morning,  accompanied  by  Cap 
tain  A.  L.  Mills,  as  aide.  It  was  at  half-past 
seven  that  Captain  Mills,  with  a  patrol  of  two 
men  in  advance,  discovered  the  Spaniards  as  they 
lay  across  where  the  two  roads  came  together, 

81 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

some  of  them  in  pits,  others  simply  lying  in  the 
heavy  jungle,  while  on  their  extreme  right  they 
occupied  a  big  ranch.  Where  General  Young 
struck  them  they  held  a  high  ridge  a  little  to  the 
left  of  his  front,  this  ridge  being  separated  by  a 
deep  ravine  from  the  hill-trail  still  farther  to  the 
left,  down  which  the  Rough  Riders  were  advanc 
ing.  That  is,  their  forces  occupied  a  range  of 
high  hills  in  the  form  of  an  obtuse  angle,  the  sa 
lient  being  toward  the  space  between  the  Ameri 
can  forces,  while  there  were  advance  parties  along 
both  roads.  There  were  stone  breastworks  flanked 
by  block-houses  on  that  part  of  the  ridge  where 
the  two  trails  came  together.  The  place  was 
called  Las  Guasimas,  from  trees  of  that  name  in 
the  neighborhood. 

General  Young,  who  was  riding  a  mule,  care 
fully  examined  the  Spanish  position  in  person. 
He  ordered  the  canteens  of  the  troops  to  be  filled, 
placed  the  Hotchkiss  battery  in  concealment 
about  nine  hundred  yards  from  the  Spanish  lines, 
and  then  deployed  the  white  regulars,  with  the 
colored  regulars  in  support,  having  sent  a  Cuban 
guide  to  try  to  find  Colonel  Wood  and  warn  him. 
He  did  not  attack  immediately,  because  he  knew 
that  Colonel  Wood,  having  a  more  difficult  route, 
would  require  a  longer  time  to  reach  the  position. 
During  the  delay  General  Wheeler  arrived;  he 

82 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

had  been  up  since  long  before  dawn^to  see  that 
everything  went  well.  Young  informed  him  of 
the  dispositions  and  plan  of  attack  he  made. 
General  Wheeler  approved  of  them,  and  with  ex 
cellent  judgment  left  General  Young  a  free  hand 
to  fight  his  battle. 

So,  about  eight  o'clock  Young  began  the  fight 
with  his  Hotchkiss  guns,  he  himself  being  up  on 
the  firing-line.  No  sooner  had  the  Hotchkiss 
one-pounders  opened  than  the  Spaniards  opened 
fire  in  return,  most  of  the  time  firing  by  volleys 
executed  in  perfect  time,  almost  as  on  parade. 
They  had  a  couple  of  light  guns,  which  our  peo 
ple  thought  were  quick  firers.  The  denseness  of 
the  jungle  and  the  fact  that  they  used  absolutely 
smokeless  powder,  made  it  exceedingly  difficult 
to  place  exactly  where  they  were,  and  almost  im 
mediately  Young,  who  always  liked  to  get  as 
close  as  possible  to  his  enemy,  began  to  push  his 
troops  forward.  They  were  deployed  on  both 
sides  of  the  road  in  such  thick  jungle  that  it  was 
only  here  and  there  that  they  could  possibly  see 
ahead,  and  some  confusion,  of  course,  ensued,  the 
support  gradually  getting  mixed  with  the  ad 
vance.  Captain  Beck  took  A  Troop  of  the 
Tenth  in  on  the  left,  next  Captain  Galbraith's 
troop  of  the  First ;  two  other  troops  of  the  Tenth 
were  on  the  extreme  right.  Through  the  jungle 

83 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

ran  wire  fences  here  and  there,  and  as  the  troops 
got  to  the  ridge  they  encountered  precipitous 
heights.  They  were  led  most  gallantly,  as  Ameri 
can  regular  officers  always  lead  their  men ;  and  the 
men  followed  their  leaders  with  the  splendid  cour 
age  always  shown  by  the  American  regular  sol 
dier.  There  was  not  a  single  straggler  among 
them,  and  in  not  one  instance  was  an  attempt 
made  by  any  trooper  to  fall  out  in  order  to  assist 
the  wounded  or  carry  back  the  dead,  while  so 
cool  were  they  and  so  perfect  their  fire  discipline, 
that  in  the  entire  engagement  the  expenditure  of 
ammunition  was  not  over  ten  rounds  per  man. 
Major  Bell,  who  commanded  the  squadron,  had 
his  leg  broken  by  a  shot  as  he  was  leading  his 
men.  Captain  Wainwright  succeeded  to  the 
command  of  the  squadron.  Captain  Knox  was 
shot  in  the  abdomen.  He  continued  for  some 
time  giving  orders  to  his  troops,  and  refused  to 
allow  a  man  in  the  firing-line  to  assist  him  to  the 
rear.  His  First  Lieutenant,  Byram,  was  himself 
shot,  but  continued  to  lead  his  men  until  the 
wound  and  the  heat  overcame  him  and  he  fell  in  a 
faint.  The  advance  was  pushed  forward  under 
General  Young's  eye  with  the  utmost  energy, 
until  the  enemy's  voices  could  be  heard  in  the 
entrenchments.  The  Spaniards  kept  up  a  very 
heavy  firing,  but  the  regulars  would  not  be  de- 

84 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

nied,  and  as  they  climbed  the  ridges  the  Spaniards 
broke  and  fled. 

Meanwhile,  at  six  o'clock,  the  Rough  Riders 
began  their  advance.  We  first  had  to  climb  a 
very  steep  hill.  Many  of  the  men,  foot-sore  and 
weary  from  their  march  of  the  preceding  day, 
found  the  pace  up  this  hill  too  hard,  and  either 
dropped  their  bundles  or  fell  out  of  line,  with  the 
result  that  we  went  into  action  with  less  than  five 
hundred  men — as,  in  addition  to  the  stragglers,  a 
detachment  had  been  left  to  guard  the  baggage 
on  shore.  At  the  time  I  was  rather  inclined  to 
grumble  to  myself  about  Wood  setting  so  fast  a 
pace,  but  when  the  fight  began  I  realized  that  it 
had  been  absolutely  necessary,  as  otherwise  we 
should  have  arrived  late  and  the  regulars  would 
have  had  very  hard  work  indeed. 

Tiffany,  by  great  exertions,  had  corralled  a 
couple  of  mules  and  was  using  them  to  transport 
the  Colt  automatic  guns  in  the  rear  of  the  regi 
ment.  The  dynamite  gun  was  not  with  us,  as 
mules  for  it  could  not  be  obtained  in  time. 

Captain  Capron's  troop  was  in  the  lead,  it  being 
chosen  for  the  most  responsible  and  dangerous 
position  because  of  Capron's  capacity.  Four  men, 
headed  by  Sergeant  Hamilton  Fish,  went  first ;  a 
support  of  twenty  men  followed  some  distance 
behind ;  and  then  came  Capron  and  the  rest  of  his 

85 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

troop,  followed  by  Wood,  with  whom  General 
Young  had  sent  Lieutenants  Smedburg  and 
Rivers  as  aides.  I  rode  close  behind,  at  the  head 
of  the  other  three  troops  of  my  squadron,  and 
then  came  Brodie  at  the  head  of  his  squadron. 
The  trail  was  so  narrow  that  for  the  most  part  the 
men  marched  in  single  file,  and  it  was  bordered 
by  dense,  tangled  jungle,  through  which  a  man 
could  with  difficulty  force  his  way;  so  that  to  put 
out  flankers  was  impossible,  for  they  could  not 
possibly  have  kept  up  with  the  march  of  the  col 
umn.  Every  man  had  his  canteen  full.  There 
was  a  Cuban  guide  at  the  head  of  the  column, 
but  he  ran  away  as  soon  as  the  fighting  began. 
There  were  also  with  us,  at  the  head  of  the  col 
umn,  two  men  who  did  not  run  away,  who,  though 
non-combatants  -  -  newspaper  correspondents  - 
showed  as  much  gallantry  as  any  soldier  in  the 
field.  They  were  Edward  Marshall  and  Richard 
Harding  Davis. 

After  reaching  the  top  of  the  hill  the  walk  was 
very  pleasant.  Now  and  then  we  came  to  glades 
or  rounded  hill-shoulders,  whence  we  could  look 
off  for  some  distance.  The  tropical  forest  was 
very  beautiful,  and  it  was  a  delight  to  see  the 
strange  trees,  the  splendid  royal  palms  and  a  tree 
which  looked  like  a  flat-topped  acacia,  and  which 
was  covered  with  a  mass  of  brilliant  scarlet  flow- 

86 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

ers.  We  heard  many  bird-notes,  too,  the  cooing 
of  doves  and  the  call  of  a  great  brush  cuckoo. 
Afterward  we  found  that  the  Spanish  guerillas  im 
itated  these  bird-calls,  but  the  sounds  we  heard 
that  morning,  as  we  advanced  through  the  tropic 
forest,  were  from  birds,  not  guerillas,  until  we  came 
right  up  to  the  Spanish  lines.  It  was  very  beau 
tiful  and  very  peaceful,  and  it  seemed  more  as  if 
we  were  off  on  some  hunting  excursion  than  as  if 
we  were  about  to  go  into  a  sharp  and  bloody  lit 
tle  fight. 

Of  course,  we  accommodated  our  movements 
to  those  of  the  men  in  front.  After  marching  for 
somewhat  over  an  hour,  we  suddenly  came  to  a 
halt,  and  immediately  afterward  Colonel  Wood 
sent  word  down  the  line  that  the  advance  guard 
had  come  upon  a  Spanish  outpost.  Then  the 
order  was  passed  to  fill  the  magazines,  which  was 
done. 

The  men  were  totally  unconcerned,  and  I  do 
not  think  they  realized  that  any  fighting  was  at 
hand ;  at  any  rate,  I  could  hear  the  group  nearest 
me  discussing  in  low  murmurs,  not  the  Spaniards, 
but  the  conduct  of  a  certain  cow-puncher  in  quit 
ting  work  on  a  ranch  and  starting  a  saloon  in 
some  New  Mexican  town.  In  another  minute, 
however,  Wood  sent  me  orders  to  deploy  three 
troops  to  the  right  of  the  trail,  and  to  advance 

87 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

when  we  became  engaged;  while,  at  the  same 
time,  the  other  troops,  under  Major  Brodie,  were 
deployed  to  the  left  of  the  trail  where  the  ground 
was  more  open  than  elsewhere — one  troop  being 
held  in  reserve  in  the  centre,  besides  the  reserves 
on  each  wing.  Later  all  the  reserves  were  put 
into  the  firing-line. 

To  the  right  the  jungle  was  quite  thick,  and 
we  had  barely  begun  to  deploy  when  a  crash  in 
front  announced  that  the  fight  was  on.  It  was 
evidently  very  hot,  and  L  Troop  had  its  hands 
full ;  so  I  hurried  my  men  up  abreast  of  them. 
So  thick  was  the  jungle  that  it  was  very  difficult 
to  keep  together,  especially  when  there  was  no 
time  for  delay,  and  while  I  got  up  Llewellen's 
troops  and  Kane's  platoon  of  K  Troop,  the  rest  of 
K  Troop  under  Captain  Jenkins  which,  with 
Bucky  O'Neill's  troop,  made  up  the  right  wing, 
were  behind,  and  it  was  some  time  before  they 
got  into  the  fight  at  all. 

Meanwhile  I  had  gone  forward  with  Llewellen, 
Greenway,  Kane  and  their  troopers  until  we  came 
out  on  a  kind  of  shoulder,  jutting  over  a  ravine, 
which  separated  us  from  a  great  ridge  on  our  right. 
It  was  on  this  ridge  that  the  Spaniards  had  some 
of  their  intrenchments,  and  it  was  just  beyond  this 
ridge  that  the  Valley  Road  led,  up  which  the 
regulars  were  at  that  very  time  pushing  their  at- 

88 


I 


Q. 

o 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

tack ;  but,  of  course,  at  the  moment  we  knew 
nothing  of  this.  The  effect  of  the  smokeless 
powder  was  remarkable.  The  air  seemed  full  of 
the  rustling  sound  of  the  Mauser  bullets,  for  the 
Spaniards  knew  the  trails  by  which  we  were  ad 
vancing,  and  opened  heavily  on  our  position. 
Moreover,  as  we  advanced  we  were,  of  course 
exposed,  and  they  could  see  us  and  fire.  But 
they  themselves  were  entirely  invisible.  The 
jungle  covered  everything,  and  not  the  faintest 
trace  of  smoke  was  to  be  seen  in  any  direction  to 
indicate  from  whence  the  bullets  came.  It  was 
some  time  before  the  men  fired ;  Llewellen,  Kane, 
and  I  anxiously  studying  the  ground  to  see  where 
our  opponents  were,  and  utterly  unable  to  find 
out. 

We  could  hear  the  faint  reports  of  the  Hotch- 
kiss  guns  and  the  reply  of  two  Spanish  guns,  and 
the  Mauser  bullets  were  singing  through  the  trees 
over  our  heads,  making  a  noise  like  the  humming 
of  telephone  wires ;  but  exactly  where  they  came 
from  we  could  not  tell.  The  Spaniards  were 
firing  high  and  for  the  most  part  by  volleys,  and 
their  shooting  was  not  very  good,  which  perhaps 
was  not  to  be  wondered  at,  as  they  were  a  long 
way  off.  Gradually,  however,  they  began  to  get 
the  range  and  occasionally  one  of  our  men  would 
crumple  up.  In  no  case  did  the  man  make  any 

89 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

outcry  when  hit,  seeming  to  take  it  as  a  matter  of 
course ;  at  the  outside,  making  only  such  a  remark 
as,  "  Well,  I  got  it  that  time."  With  hardly  an 
exception,  there  was  no  sign  of  flinching.  I  say 
with  hardly  an  exception,  for  though  I  personally 
did  not  see  an  instance,  and  though  all  the  men 
at  the  front  behaved  excellently,  yet  there  were  a 
very  few  men  who  lagged  behind  and  drifted 
back  to  the  trail  over  which  we  had  come.  The 
character  of  the  fight  put  a  premium  upon  such 
conduct,  and  afforded  a  very  severe  test  for  raw 
troops;  because  the  jungle  was  so  dense  that  as 
we  advanced  in  open  order,  every  man  was,  from 
time  to  time,  left  almost  alone  and  away  from  the 
eyes  of  his  officers.  There  was  unlimited  oppor 
tunity  for  dropping  out  without  attracting  notice, 
while  it  was  peculiarly  hard  to  be  exposed  to  the 
fire  of  an  unseen  foe,  and  to  see  men  dropping 
under  it,  and  yet  to  be,  for  some  time,  unable  to 
return  it,  and  also  to  be  entirely  ignorant  of  what 
was  going  on  in  any  other. part  of  the  field. 

It  was  Richard  Harding  Davis  who  gave  us 
our  first  opportunity  to  shoot  back  with  effect. 
He  was  behaving  precisely  like  my  officers,  being 
on  the  extreme  front  of  the  line,  and  taking  every 
opportunity  to  study  with  his  glasses  the  ground 
where  we  thought  the  Spaniards  were.  I  had 
tried  some  volley  firing  at  points  where  I  rather 

go 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

doubtfully  believed  the  Spaniards  to  be,  but  had 
stopped  firing  and  was  myself  studying  the  jun 
gle-covered  mountain  ahead  with  my  glasses, 
when  Davis  suddenly  said :  "  There  they  are, 
Colonel;  look  over  there;  I  can  see  their  hats 
near  that  glade,"  pointing  across  the  valley  to  our 
right.  In  a  minute  I,  too,  made  out  the  hats, 
and  then  pointed  them  out  to  three  or  four  of  our 
best  shots,  giving  them  my  estimate  of  the  range. 
For  a  minute  or  two  no  result  followed,  and  I 
kept  raising  the  range,  at  the  same  time  getting 
more  men  on  the  firing-line.  Then,  evidently, 
the  shots  told,  for  the  Spaniards  suddenly  sprang 
out  of  the  cover  through  which  we  had  seen  their 
hats,  and  ran  to  another  spot;  and  we  could  now 
make  out  a  large  number  of  them. 

I  accordingly  got  all  of  my  men  up  in  line  and 
began  quick  firing.  In  a  very  few  minutes  our 
bullets  began  to  do  damage,  for  the  Spaniards  re 
treated  to  the  left  into  the  jungle,  and  we  lost 
sight  of  them.  At  the  same  moment  a  big  body 
of  men  who,  it  afterward  turned  out,  were  Span 
iards,  came  in  sight  along  the  glade,  following  the 
retreat  of  those  whom  we  had  just  driven  from 
the  trenches.  We  supposed  that  there  was  a 
large  force  of  Cubans  with  General  Young,  not 
being  aware  that  these  Cubans  had  failed  to  make 
their  appearance,  and  as  it  was  impossible  to  tell 

91 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

the  Cubans  from  the  Spaniards,  and  as  we  could 
not  decide  whether  these  were  Cubans  following 
the  Spaniards  we  had  put  to  flight,  or  merely  an 
other  troop  of  Spaniards  retreating  after  the  first 
(which  was  really  the  case)  we  dared  not  fire,  and 
in  a  minute  they  had  passed  the  glade  and  were 
out  of  sight. 

At  every  halt  we  took  advantage  of  the  cover, 
sinking  down  behind  any  mound,  bush,  or  tree- 
trunk  in  the  neighborhood.  The  trees,  of  course, 
furnished  no  protection  from  the  Mauser  bullets. 
Once  I  was  standing  behind  a  large  palm  with 
my  head  out  to  one  side,  very  fortunately;  for  a 
bullet  passed  through  the  palm,  filling  my  left 
eye  and  ear  with  the  dust  and  splinters. 

No  man  was  allowed  to  drop  out  to  help  the 
wounded.  It  was  hard  to  leave  them  there  in  the 
jungle,  where  they  might  not  be  found  again  until 
the  vultures  and  the  land-crabs  came,  but  war  is  a 
grim  game  and  there  was  no  choice.  One  of  the 
men  shot  was  Harry  HefFner  of  G  Troop,  who 
was  mortally  wounded  through  the  hips.  He  fell 
without  uttering  a  sound,  and  two  of  his  compan 
ions  dragged  him  behind  a  tree.  Here  he  propped 
himself  up  and  asked  to  be  given  his  canteen  and 
his  rifle,  which  I  handed  to  him.  He  then  again 
began  shooting,  and  continued  loading  and  firing 
until  the  line  moved  forward  and  we  left  him 

92 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

alone,  dying   in   the   gloomy   shade.     When  we 
found  him  again,  after  the  fight,  he  was  dead. 

At  one  time,  as  I  was  out  ot  touch  with  that 
part  of  my  wing  commanded  by  Jenkins  and 
O'Neill,  I  sent  Greenway,  with  Sergeant  Russell, 
a  New  Yorker,  and  trooper  Rowland,  a  New 
Mexican  cow-puncher,  down  in  the  valley  to  find 
out  where  they  were.  To  do  this  the  three  had 
to  expose  themselves  to  a  very  severe  fire,  but 
they  were  not  men  to  whom  this  mattered.  Rus 
sell  was  killed ;  the  other  two  returned  and  re 
ported  to  me  the  position  of  Jenkins  and  O'Neill. 
They  then  resumed  their  places  on  the  firing-line. 
After  awhile  I  noticed  blood  coming  out  of  Row 
land's  side  and  discovered  that  he  had  been  shot, 
although  he  did  not  seem  to  be  taking  any  notice 
of  it.  He  said  the  wound  was  only  slight,  but  as 
I  saw  he  had  broken  a  rib,  I  told  him  to  go  to  the 
rear  to  the  hospital.  After  some  grumbling  he 
went,  but  fifteen  minutes  later  he  was  back  on  the 
firing-line  again  and  said  he  could  not  find  the 
hospital — which  I  doubted.  However,  I  then  let 
him  stay  until  the  end  of  the  fight. 

After  we  had  driven  the  Spaniards  off  from 
their  position  to  our  right,  the  firing  seemed  to 
die  away  so  far  as  we  were  concerned,  for  the  bul 
lets  no  longer  struck  around  us  in  such  a  storm  as 
before,  though  along  the  rest  of  the  line  the  battle 

93 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

was  as  brisk  as  ever.  Soon  we  saw  troops  ap 
pearing  across  the  ravine,  not  very  far  from  where 
we  had  seen  the  Spaniards  whom  we  had  thought 
might  be  Cubans.  Again  we  dared  not  fire,  and 
carefully  studied  the  new-comers  with  our  glasses ; 
and  this  time  we  were  right,  for  we  recognized 
our  own  cavalry-men.  We  were  by  no  means 
sure  that  they  recognized  us,  however,  and  were 
anxious  that  they  should,  but  it  was  very  difficult 
to  find  a  clear  spot  in  the  jungle  from  which  to 
signal;  so  Sergeant  Lee  of  Troop  K  climbed  a 
tree  and  from  its  summit  waved  the  troop  guidon. 
They  waved  their  guidon  back,  and  as  our  right 
wing  was  now  in  touch  with  the  regulars,  I  left 
Jenkins  and  O'Neill  to  keep  the  connection,  and 
led  Llewellen's  troop  back  to  the  path  to  join  the 
rest  of  the  regiment,  which  was  evidently  still  in 
the  thick  of  the  fight.  I  was  still  very  much  in 
the  dark  as  to  where  the  main  body  of  the  Span 
ish  forces  were,  or  exactly  what  lines  the  battle 
was  following,  and  was  very  uncertain  what  I 
ought  to  do;  but  I  knew  it  could  not  be  wrong 
to  go  forward,  and  I  thought  I  would  find  Wood 
and  then  see  what  he  wished  me  to  do.  I  was  in 
a  mood-  to  cordially  welcome  guidance,  for  it  was 
most  bewildering  to  fight  an  enemy  whom  one  so 
rarely  saw. 

I  had  not  seen  Wood  since  the  beginning  of 


Hamilton  Fish,  Jr.,  First  Sergeant,  Troop  L, 

Killed  in  battle  at  Las  Guasimas. 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

-the  skirmish,  when  he  hurried  forward.  When 
the  firing  opened  some  of  the  men  began  to  curse. 
"Don't  swear — shoot!"  growled  Wood,  as  he 
strode  along  the  path  leading  his  horse,  and  every 
one  laughed  and  became  cool  again.  The  Spanish 
outposts  were  very  near  our  advance  guard,  and 
some  minutes  of  the  hottest  kind  of  firing  followed 
before  they  were  driven  back  and  slipped  off 
through  the  jungle  to  their  main  lines  in  the  rear. 
Here,  at  the  very  outset  of  our  active  service, 
we  suffered  the  loss  of  two  as  gallant  men  as  ever 
wore  uniform.  Sergeant  Hamilton  Fish  at  the 
extreme  front,  while  holding  the  point  up  to  its 
work  and  firing  back  where  the  Spanish  advance 
guards  lay,  was  shot  and  instantly  killed;  three 
of  the  men  with  him  were  likewise  hit.  Captain 
Capron,  leading  the  advance  guard  in  person,  and 
displaying  equal  courage  and  coolness  in  the  way 
that  he  handled  them,  was  also  struck,  and  died  a 
few  minutes  afterward.  The  command  of  the 
troop  then  devolved  upon  the  First  Lieutenant, 
young  Thomas.  Like  Capron,  Thomas  was  the 
fifth  in  line  from  father  to  son  who  had  served  in 
the  American  army,  though  in  his  case  it  was  in 
the  volunteer  and  not  the  regular  service;  the  four 
preceding  generations  had  furnished  soldiers  re 
spectively  to  the  Revolutionary  War,  the  War  of 
1812,  the  Mexican  War,  and  the  Civil  War.  In 

95 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

a  few  minutes  Thomas  was  shot  through  the  leg, 
and  the  command  devolved  upon  the  Second 
Lieutenant,  Day  (a  nephew  of  "Albe marie" 
Gushing,  he  who  sunk  the  great  Confederate  ram). 
Day,  who  proved  himself  to  be  one  of  our  most 
efficient  officers,  continued  to  handle  the  men  to 
the  best  possible  advantage,  and  brought  them 
steadily  forward.  L  Troop  was  from  the  Indian 
Territory.  The  whites,  Indians,  and  half-breeds 
in  it,  all  fought  with  equal  courage.  Captain 
McClintock  was  hurried  forward  to  its  relief 
with  his  Troop  B  of  Arizona  men.  In  a  few 
minutes  he  was  shot  through  the  leg  and  his  place 
was  taken  by  his  First  Lieutenant,  Wilcox,  who 
handled  his  men  in  the  same  soldierly  manner 
that  Day  did. 

Among  the  men  who  showed  marked  courage 
and  coolness  was  the  tall  color-sergeant,  Wright ; 
the  colors  were  shot  through  three  times. 

When  I  had  led  G  Troop  back  to  the  trail  I 
ran  ahead  of  them,  passing  the  dead  and  wounded 
men  of  L  Troop,  passing  young  Fish  as  he  lay 
with  glazed  eyes  under  the  rank  tropic  growth  to 
one  side  of  the  trail.  When  I  came  to  the  front 
I  found  the  men  spread  out  in  a  very  thin  skir 
mish  line,  advancing  through  comparatively  open 
ground,  each  man  taking  advantage  of  what  cover 
he  could,  while  Wood  strolled  about  leading  his 

96 


Major  Brodie, 

Wounded  in  the  Guasimas  Fight. 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

horse,  Brodie  being  close  at  hand.  How  Wood 
escaped  being  hit,  I  do  not  see,  and  still  less  how 
his  horse  escaped.  I  had  left  mine  at  the  begin 
ning  of  the  action,  and  was  only  regretting  that  I 
had  not  left  my  sword  with  it,  as  it  kept  getting 
between  my  legs  when  I  was  tearing  my  way 
through  the  jungle.  I  never  wore  it  again  in 
action.  Lieutenant  Rivers  was  with  Wood,  also 
leading  his  horse.  Smedburg  had  been  sent  off 
on  the  by  no  means  pleasant  task  of  establishing 
communications  with  Young. 

Very  soon  after  I  reached  the  front,  Brodie  was 
hit,  the  bullet  shattering  one  arm  and  whirling 
him  around  as  he  stood.  He  had  kept  on  the 
extreme  front  all  through,  his  presence  and  exam 
ple  keeping  his  men  entirely  steady,  and  he  at  first 
refused  to  go  to  the  rear ;  but  the  wound  was  very 
painful,  and  he  became  so  faint  that  he  had  to  be 
sent.  Thereupon,  Wood  directed  me  to  take 
charge  of  the  left  wing  in  Brodie's  place,  and  to 
bring  it  forward ;  so  over  I  went. 

I  now  had  under  me  Captains  Luna,  Muller, 
and  Houston,  and  I  began  to  take  them  forward, 
well  spread  out,  through  the  high  grass  of  a  rather 
open  forest.  I  noticed  Goodrich,  of  Houston's 
troop,  tramping  along  behind  his  men,  absorbed 
in  making  them  keep  at  good  intervals  from  one 
another  and  fire  slowly  with  careful  aim.  As  I 

97 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

came  close  up  to  the  edge  of  the  troop,  he  caught 
a  glimpse  of  me,  mistook  me  for  one  of  his  own 
skirmishers  who  was  crowding  in  too  closely,  and 
called  out,  "Keep  your  interval,  sir;  keep  your 
interval,  and  go  forward." 

A  perfect  hail  of  bullets  was  sweeping  over  us 
as  we  advanced.  Once  I  got  a  glimpse  of  some 
Spaniards,  apparently  retreating,  far  in  the  front, 
and  to  our  right,  and  we  fired  a  couple  of  rounds 
after  them.  Then  I  became  convinced,  after 
much  anxious  study,  that  we  were  being  fired  at 
from  some  large  red-tiled  buildings,  part  of  a 
ranch  on  our  front.  Smokeless  powder,  and  the 
thick  cover  in  our  front,  continued  to  puzzle  us, 
and  I  more  than  once  consulted  anxiously  the 
officers  as  to  the  exact  whereabouts  of  our  oppo 
nents.  I  took  a  rifle  from  a  wounded  man  and 
began  to  try  shots  with  it  myself.  It  was  very 
hot  and  the  men  were  getting  exhausted,  though 
at  this  particular  time  we  were  not  suffering 
heavily  from  bullets,  the  Spanish  fire  going  high. 
As  we  advanced,  the  cover  became  a  little  thicker 
and  I  lost  touch  of  the  main  body  under  Wood ; 
so  I  halted  and  we  fired  industriously  at  the  ranch 
buildings  ahead  of  us,  some  five  hundred  yards 
off.  Then  we  heard  cheering  on  the  right,  and  I 
supposed  that  this  meant  a  charge  on  the  part  of 
Wood's  men,  so  I  sprang  up  and  ordered  the  men 

08 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

to  rush  the  buildings  ahead  of  us.  They  came 
forward  with  a  will.  There  was  a  moment's 
heavy  firing  from  the  Spaniards,  which  all  went 
over  our  heads,  and  then  it  ceased  entirely. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  buildings,  panting  and 
out  of  breath,  they  contained  nothing  but  heaps 
of  empty  cartridge-shells  and  two  dead  Spaniards, 
shot  through  the  head. 

The  country  all  around  us  was  thickly  forested, 
so  that  it  was  very  difficult  to  see  any  distance  in 
any  direction.  The  firing  had  now  died  out,  but 
I  was  still  entirely  uncertain  as  to  exactly  what 
had  happened.  I  did  not  know  whether  the  ene 
my  had  been  driven  back  or  whether  it  was 
merely  a  lull  in  the  fight,  and  we  might  be  at 
tacked  again  ;  nor  did  I  know  what  had  happened 
in  any  other  part  of  the  line,  while  as  I  occupied 
the  extreme  left,  I  was  not  sure  whether  or  not 
my  flank  was  in  danger.  At  this  moment  one  of 
our  men  who  had  dropped  out,  arrived  with  the 
information  (fortunately  false)  that  Wood  was 
dead.  Of  course,  this  meant  that  the  command 
devolved  upon  me,  and  I  hastily  set  about  taking 
charge  of  the  regiment.  I  had  been  particularly 
struck  by  the  coolness  and  courage  shown  by  Ser 
geants  Dame  and  Mcllhenny,  and  sent  them  out 
with  small  pickets  to  keep  watch  in  front  and  to 
the  left  of  the  left  wing.  I  sent  other  men  to 

99 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

fill  the  canteens  with  water,  and  threw  the  rest 
out  in  a  long  line  in  a  disused  sunken  road,  which 
gave  them  cover,  putting  two  or  three  wounded 
men,  who  had  hitherto  kept  up  with  the  fighting- 
line,  and  a  dozen  men  who  were  suffering  from 
heat  exhaustion  —  for  the  fighting  and  running 
under  that  blazing  sun  through  the  thick  dry  jun 
gle  was  heart-breaking — into  the  ranch  buildings. 
Then  I  started  over  toward  the  main  body,  but 
to  my  delight  encountered  Wood  himself,  who 
told  me  the  fight  was  over  and  the  Spaniards  had 
retreated.  He  also  informed  me  that  other  troops 
were  just  coming  up.  The  first  to  appear  was  a 
squadron  of  the  Ninth  Cavalry,  under  Major 
Dimick,  which  had  hurried  up  to  get  into  the 
fight,  and  was  greatly  disappointed  to  find  it  over. 
They  took  post  in  front  of  our  lines,  so  that  our 
tired  men  were  able  to  get  a  rest,  Captain  Mc- 
Blain,  of  the  Ninth,  good-naturedly  giving  us 
some  points  as  to  the  best  way  to  station  our  out 
posts.  Then  General  Chaffee,  rather  glum  at  not 
having  been  in  the  fight  himself,  rode  up  at  the 
head  of  some  of  his  infantry,  and  I  marched  my 
squadron  back  to  where  the  rest  of  the  regiment 
was  going  into  camp,  just  where  the  two  trails 
came  together,  and  beyond — that  is,  on  the  Santi 
ago  side  of — the  original  Spanish  lines. 

The  Rough  Riders  had  lost  eight  men  killed 

100 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

and  thirty-four  wounded,  aside  from  two  or  three 
who  were  merely  scratched  and  whose  wounds 
were  not  reported.  The  First  Cavalry,  white, 
lost  seven  men  killed  and  eight  wounded;  the 
Tenth  Cavalry,  colored,  one  man  killed  and  ten 
wounded;  so,  out  of  964  men  engaged  on  our 
side,  16  were  killed  and  52  wounded.  The 
Spaniards  were  under  General  Rubin,  with,  as 
second  in  command,  Colonel  Alcarez.  They  had 
two  guns,  and  eleven  companies  of  about  a  hun 
dred  men  each:  three  belonging  to  the  Porto 
Rico  regiment,  three  to  the  San  Fernandino,  two 
to  the  Talavero,  two  being  so-called  mobilized 
companies  from  the  mineral  districts,  and  one  a 
company  of  engineers;  over  twelve  hundred  men 
in  all,  together  with  two  guns.* 

General  Rubin  reported  that  he  had  repulsed 
the  American    attack,   and    Lieutenant    Tejeiro 

*  See  Lieutenant  Miiller  y  Tejeiro,  "Combates  y  Capitulacion  de 
Santiago  de  Cuba,"  page  136.  The  Lieutenant  speaks  as  if  only  one 
echelon,  of  seven  companies  and  two  guns,  was  engaged  on  the  24th. 
The  official  report  says  distinctly,  "General  Rubin's  column,"  which 
consisted  of  the  companies  detailed  above.  By  turning  to  page  146, 
where  Lieutenant  Tejeiro  enumerates  the  strength  of  the  various  com 
panies,  it  will  be  seen  that  they  averaged  over  no  men  apiece  ;  this 
probably  does  not  include  officers,  and  is  probably  an  under-statement 
anyhow.  On  page  261  he  makes  the  Spanish  loss  at  Las  Guasimas, 
which  he  calls  Sevilla,  9  killed  and  27  wounded.  Very  possibly  he 
includes  only  the  Spanish  regulars  ;  two  of  the  Spaniards  we  slew, 
over  on  the  left,  were  in  brown,  instead  of  the  light  blue  of  the  regu 
lars,  and  were  doubtless  guerillas. 

IOI 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

states  in  his  book  that  General  Rubin  forced  the 
Americans  to  retreat,  and  enumerates  the  attack 
ing  force  as  consisting  of  three  regular  regiments 
of  infantry,  the  Second  Massachusetts  and  the 
Seventy-first  New  York  (not  one  of  which  fired 
a  gun  or  were  anywhere  near  the  battle),  in  ad 
dition  to  the  sixteen  dismounted  troops  of  cav 
alry.  In  other  words,  as  the  five  infantry  regi 
ments  each  included  twelve  companies,  he  makes 
the  attacking  force  consist  of  just  five  times  the 
actual  amount.  As  for  the  "repulse,"  our  line 
never  went  back  ten  yards  in  any  place,  and  the 
advance  was  practically  steady;  while  an  hour 
and  a  half  after  the  fight  began  we  were  in  com 
plete  possession  of  the  entire  Spanish  position, 
and  their  troops  were  fleeing  in  masses  down  the 
road,  our  men  being  too  exhausted  to  follow 
them. 

General  Rubin  also  reports  that  he  lost  but 
seven  men  killed.  This  is  certainly  incorrect,  for 
Captain  O'Neill  and  I  went  over  the  ground  very 
carefully  and  counted  eleven  dead  Spaniards,  all 
of  whom  were  actually  buried  by  our  burying 
squads.  There  were  probably  two  or  three  men 
whom  we  missed,  but  I  think  that  our  official  re 
ports  are  incorrect  in  stating  that  forty-two  dead 
Spaniards  were  found;  this  being  based  upon  re 
ports  in  which  I  think  some  of  the  Spanish  dead 

102 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

were  counted  two  or  three  times.  Indeed,  I 
should  doubt  whether  their  loss  was  as  heavy  as 
ours,  for  they  were  under  cover,  while  we  ad 
vanced,  often  in  the  open,  and  their  main  lines 
fled  long  before  we  could  get  to  close  quarters. 
It  was  a  very  difficult  country,  and  a  force  of 
good  soldiers  resolutely  handled  could  have  held 
the  pass  with  ease  against  two  or  three  times  their 
number.  As  it  was,  with  a  force  half  of  regulars 
and  half  of  volunteers,  we  drove  out  a  superior 
number  of  Spanish  regular  troops,  strongly  posted, 
without  suffering  a  very  heavy  loss.  Although 
the  Spanish  fire  was  very  heavy,  it  does  not  seem 
to  me  it  was  very  well  directed ;  and  though  they 
fired  with  great  spirit  while  we  merely  stood  at  a 
distance  and  fired  at  them,  they  did  not  show 
much  resolution,  and  when  we  advanced,  always 
went  back  long  before  there  was  any  chance  of 
our  coming  into  contact  with  them.  Our  men 
behaved  very  well  indeed — white  regulars,  colored 
regulars,  and  Rough  Riders  alike.  The  newspa 
per  press  failed  to  do  full  justice  to  the  white 
regulars,  in  my  opinion,  from  the  simple  reason 
that  everybody  knew  that  they  would  fight,  where 
as  there  had  been  a  good  deal  of  question  as  to 
how  the  Rough  Riders,  who  were  volunteer  troops, 
and  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  who  were  colored,  would 
behave;  so  there  was  a  tendency  to  exalt  our 

103 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

deeds  at  the  expense  of  those  of  the  First  Regu 
lars,  whose  courage  and  good  conduct  were  taken 
for  granted.  It  was  a  trying  fight  beyond  what 
the  losses  show,  for  it  is  hard  upon  raw  soldiers 
to  be  pitted  against  an  unseen  foe,  and  to  ad 
vance  steadily  when  their  comrades  are  falling 
around  them,  and  when  they  can  only  occasion 
ally  see  a  chance  to  retaliate.  Wood's  experience 
in  fighting  Apaches  stood  him  in  good  stead.  An 
entirely  raw  man  at  the  head  of  the  regiment, 
conducting,  as  Wood  was,  what  was  practically 
an  independent  fight,  would  have  been  in  a  very 
trying  position.  The  fight  cleared  the  way  tow 
ard  Santiago,  and  we  experienced  no  further  re 
sistance. 

That  afternoon  we  made  camp  and  dined,  sub 
sisting  chiefly  on  a  load  of  beans  which  we  found 
on  one  of  the  Spanish  mules  which  had  been 
shot.  We  also  looked  after  the  wounded.  Dr. 
Church  had  himself  gone  out  to  the  firing-line 
during  the  fight,  and  carried  to  the  rear  some  of 
the  worst  wounded  on  his  back  or  in  his  arms. 
Those  who  could  walk  had  walked  in  to  where 
the  little  field-hospital  of  the  regiment  was  estab 
lished  on  the  trail.  We  found  all  our  dead  and 
all  the  badly  wounded.  Around  one  of  the  lat 
ter  the  big,  hideous  land-crabs  had  gathered  in  a 
grewsome  ring,  waiting  for  life  to  be  extinct. 

104  ' 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

One  of  our  own  men  and  most  of  the  Spanish 
dead  had  been  found  by  the  vultures  before  we 
got  to  them ;  and  their  bodies  were  mangled,  the 
eyes  and  wounds  being  torn. 

The  Rough  Rider  who  had  been  thus  treated 
was  in  Bucky  O'Neill's  troop ;  and  as  we  looked 
at  the  body,  O'Neill  turned  to  me  and  asked, 
"Colonel,  isn't  it  Whitman  who  says  of  the 
vultures  that  '  they  pluck  the  eyes  of  princes  and 
tear  the  flesh  of  kings  "?  "  I  answered  that  I  could 
not  place  the  quotation.  Just  a  week  afterward 
we  were  shielding  his  own  body  from  the  birds 
of  prey. 

One  of  the  men  who  fired  first,  and  who  dis 
played  conspicuous  gallantry  was  a  Cherokee  half- 
breed,  who  was  hit  seven  times,  and  of  course 
had  to  go  back  to  the  States.  Before  he  rejoined 
us  at  Montauk  Point  he  had  gone  through  a 
little  private  war  of  his  own;  for  on  his  return 
he  found  that  a  cow-boy  had  gone  off  with  his 
sweetheart,  and  in  the  fight  that  ensued  he  shot 
his  rival.  Another  man  of  L  Troop  who  also 
showed  marked  gallantry  was  Elliot  Cowdin. 
The  men  of  the  plains  and  mountains  were  trained 
by  life-long  habit  to  look  on  life  and  death  with 
iron  philosophy.  As  I  passed  by  a  couple  of 
tall,  lank,  Oklahoma  cow-punchers,  I  heard  one 
say,  "Well,  some  of  the  boys  got  it  in  the 

105 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

neck ! "  to  which  the  other  answered  with  the 
grim  plains  proverb  of  the  South :  "  Many  a 
good  horse  dies." 

Thomas  Isbell,  a  half-breed  Cherokee  in  the 
squad  under  Hamilton  Fish,  was  among  the  first 
to  shoot  and  be  shot  at.  He  was  wounded  no 
less  than  seven  times.  The  first  wound  was 
received  by  him  two  minutes  after  he  had  fired 
his  first  shot,  the  bullet  going  through  his 
neck.  The  second  hit  him  in  the  left  thumb. 
The  third  struck  near  his  right  hip,  passing 
entirely  through  the  body.  The  fourth  bullet 
(which  was  apparently  from  a  Remington  and 
not  from  a  Mauser)  went  into  his  neck  and 
lodged  against  the  bone,  being  afterward  cut 
out.  The  fifth  bullet  again  hit  his  left  hand. 
The  sixth  scraped  his  head  and  the  seventh  his 
neck.  He  did  not  receive  all  of  the  wounds 
at  the  same  time,  over  half  an  hour  elapsing  be 
tween  the  first  and  the  last.  Up  to  receiving 
the  last  wound  he  had  declined  to  leave  the  fir 
ing-line,  but  by  that  time  he  had  lost  so  much 
blood  that  he  had  to  be  sent  to  the  rear.  The 
man's  wiry  toughness  was  as  notable  as  his  cour 
age. 

We  improvised  litters,  and  carried  the  more 
sorely  wounded  back  to  Siboney  that  afternoon 
and  the  next  morning;  the  others  walked.  One 

106 


Helping  a  Wounded  Rough  Rider  to  the  Rear  after  the  Guasimas  Fight. 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

of  the  men  who  had  been  most  severely  wounded 
was  Edward  Marshall,  the  correspondent,  and  he 
showed  as  much  heroism  as  any  soldier  in  the 
whole  army.  He  was  shot  through  the  spine,  a 
terrible  and  very  painful  wound,  which  we  sup 
posed  meant  that  he  would  surely  die;  but  he 
made  no  complaint  of  any  kind,  and  while  he 
retained  consciousness  persisted  in  dictating  the 
story  of  the  fight.  A  very  touching  incident 
happened  in  the  improvised  open-air  hospital 
after  the  fight,  where  the  wounded  were  lying. 
They  did  not  groan,  and  made  no  complaint,  try 
ing  to  help  one  another.  One  of  them  suddenly 
began  to  hum,  "  My  Country  'tis  of  Thee,"  and 
one  by  one  the  others  joined  in  the  chorus,  which 
swelled  out  through  the  tropic  woods,  where  the 
vectors  lay  in  camp  beside  their  dead.  I  did  not 
see  any  sign  among  the  fighting  men,  whether 
wounded  or  unwounded,  of  the  very  complicated 
emotions  assigned  to  their  kind  by  some  of  the 
realistic  modern  novelists  who  Have  written  about 
battles.  At  the  front  everyone  behaved  quite 
simply  and  took  things  as  they  came,  in  a  matter- 
of-course  way;  but  there  was  doubtless,  as  is 
always  the  case,  a  good  deal  of  panic  and  confu 
sion  in  the  rear  where  the  wounded,  the  strag 
glers,  a  few  of  the  packers,  and  two  or  three 
newspaper  correspondents  were,  and  in ,  conse- 

107 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

quence  the  first  reports  sent  back  to  the  coast  were 
of  a  most  alarming  character,  describing,  with  mi 
nute  inaccuracy,  how  we  had  run  into  an  ambush, 
etc.  The  packers  with  the  mules  which  carried 
the  rapid-fire  guns  were  among  those  who  ran,  and 
they  let  the  mules  go  in  the  jungle ;  in  consequence 
the  guns  were  never  even  brought  to  the  firing- 
line,  and  only  Fred  Herrig's  skill  as  a  trailer  en 
abled  us  to  recover  them.  By  patient  work  he  fol 
lowed  up  the  mules'  tracks  in  the  forest  until  he 
found  the  animals. 

Among  the  wounded  who  walked  to  the  tem 
porary  hospital  at  Siboney  was  the  trooper,  Row 
land,  of  whom  I  spoke  before.  There  the  doc 
tors  examined  him,  and  decreed  that  his  wound 
was  so  serious  that  he  must  go  back  to  the  States. 
This  was  enough  for  Rowland,  who  waited  until 
nightfall  and  then  escaped,  slipping  out  of  the 
window  and  making  his  way  back  to  camp  with 
his  rifle  and  pack,  though  his  wound  must  have 
made  all  movement  very  painful  to  him.  After 
this,  we  felt  that  he  was  entitled  to  stay,  and  he 
never  left  us  for  a  day,  distinguishing  himself 
again  in  the  fight  at  San  Juan. 

Next  morning  we  buried  seven  dead  Rough 
Riders  in  a  grave  on  the  summit  of  the  trail, 
Chaplain  Brown  reading  the  solemn  burial  service 
of  the  Episcopalians,  while  the  men  stood  around 

108 


The  Spot  where  Seven  Rough  Riders  were  Buried  after  the  First  Day's  Fight 
at  Las  Quasi  mas. 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

with  bared  heads  and  joined  in  singing,  "Rock 
of  Ages."  Vast  numbers  of  vultures  were  wheel 
ing  round  and  round  in  great  circles  through  the 
blue  sky  overhead.  There  could  be  no  more 
honorable  burial  than  that  of  these  men  in  a  com 
mon  grave — Indian  and  cow-boy,  miner,  packer, 
and  college  athlete — the  man  of  unknown  ances 
try  from  the  lonely  Western  plains,  and  the  man 
who  carried  on  his  watch  the  crests  of  the  Stuyve- 
sants  and  the  Fishes,  one  in  the  way  they  had 
met  death,  just  as  during  life  they  had  been  one 
in  their  daring  and  their  loyalty. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  25th  we  moved  on  a 
couple  of  miles,  and  camped  in  a  marshy  open 
spot  close  to  a  beautiful  stream.  Here  we  lay  for 
several  days.  Captain  Lee,  the  British  attache, 
spent  some  time  with  us ;  we  had  begun  to  regard 
him  as  almost  a  member  of  the  regiment.  Count 
von  Gotzen,  the  German  attache,  another  good 
fellow,  also  visited  us.  General  Young  was 
struck  down  with  the  fever,  and  Wood  took 
charge  of  the  brigade.  This  left  me  in  com 
mand  of  the  regiment,  of  which  I  was  very  glad, 
for  such  experience  as  we  had  had  is  a  quick 
teacher.  By  this  time  the  men  and  I  knew  one 
another,  and  I  felt  able  to  make  them  do  them 
selves  justice  in  march  or  battle.  They  under 
stood  that  I  paid  no  heed  to  where  they  came 

109 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

from;  no  heed  to  their  creed,  politics,  or 
standing;  that  I  would  care  for  them  to  the 
utmost  of  my  power,  but  that  I  demanded  the 
highest  performance  of  duty;  while  in  return  I 
had  seen  them  tested,  and  knew  I  could  depend 
absolutely  on  their  courage,  hardihood,  obedience, 
and  individual  initiative. 

There  was  nothing  like  enough  transportation 
with  the  army,  whether  in  the  way  of  wagons  or 
mule-trains;  exactly  as  there  had  been  no  suffi 
cient  number  of  landing-boats  with  the  transports. 
The  officers'  baggage  had  come  up,  but  none  of 
us  had  much,  and  the  shelter-tents  proved  only  a 
partial  protection  against  the  terrific  downpours 
of  rain.  These  occurred  almost  every  afternoon, 
and  turned  the  camp  into  a  tarn,  and  the  trails 
into  torrents  and  quagmires.  We  were  not  given 
quite  the  proper  amount  of  food,  and  what  we 
did  get,  like  most  of  the  clothing  issued  us,  was 
fitter  for  the  Klondyke  than  for  Cuba.  We  got 
enough  salt  port  and  hardtack  for  the  men,  but 
not  the  full  ration  of  coffee  and  sugar,  and  nothing 
else.  I  organized  a  couple  of  expeditions  back  to 
the  seacoast,  taking  the  strongest  and  best  walkers 
and  also  some  of  the  officers'  horses  and  a  stray 
mule  or  two,  and  brought  back  beans  and  canned 
tomatoes.  These  I  got  partly  by  great  exertions 
on  my  part,  and  partly  by  the  aid  of  Colonel 

TIO 


GENERAL   YOUNG'S   FIGHT 

Weston  of  the  Commissary  Department,  a  par 
ticularly  energetic  man  whose  services  were  of 
great  value.  A  silly  regulation  forbade  my  pur 
chasing  canned  vegetables,  etc.,  except  for  the  of 
ficers;  and  I  had  no  little  difficulty  in  getting 
round  this  regulation,  and  purchasing  (with  my 
own  money,  of  course)  what  I  needed  for  the 
men. 

One  of  the  men  I  took  with  me  on  one  of  these 
trips  was  Sherman  Bell,  the  former  Deputy  Mar 
shal  of  Cripple  Creek,  and  Wells-Fargo  Express 
rider.  In  coming  home  with  his  load,  through  a 
blinding  storm,  he  slipped  and  opened  the  old 
rupture.  The  agony  was  very  great  and  one  of 
his  comrades  took  his  load.  He  himself,  some 
times  walking,  and  sometimes  crawling,  got  back 
to  camp,  where  Dr.  Church  fixed  him  up  with  a 
spike  bandage,  but  informed  him  that  he  would 
have  to  be  sent  back  to  the  States  when  an  am 
bulance  came  along.  The  ambulance  did  not 
come  until  the  next  day,  which  was  the  day  be 
fore  we  marched  to  San  Juan.  It  arrived  aftei 
nightfall,  and  as  soon  as  Bell  heard  it  coming,  he 
crawled  out  of  the  hospital  tent  into  the  jungle, 
where  he  lay  all  night;  and  the  ambulance  went 
off  without  him.  The  men  shielded  him  just  as 
school-boys  would  shield  a  companion,  carrying 
his  gun,  belt,  and  bedding;  while  Bell  kept  out 

in 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

of  sight  until  the  column  started,  and  then  stag 
gered  along  behind  it.  I  found  him  the  morning 
of  the  San  Juan  fight.  He  told  me  that  he  wanted 
to  die  fighting,  if  die  he  must,  and  I  hadn't  the 
heart  to  send  him  back.  He  did  splendid  service 
that  day,  and  afterward  in  the  trenches,  and  though 
the  rupture  opened  twice  again,  and  on  each  oc 
casion  he  was  within  a  hair's  breadth  of  death,  he 
escaped,  and  came  back  with  us  to  the  United 
States. 

The  army  was  camped  along  the  valley,  ahead 
of  and  behind  us,  our  outposts  being  established 
on  either  side.  From  the  generals  to  the  privates 
all  were  eager  to  march  against  Santiago.  At 
daybreak,  when  the  tall  palms  began  to  show 
dimly  through  the  rising  mist,  the  scream  of  the 
cavalry  trumpets  tore  the  tropic  dawn;  and  in  the 
evening,  as  the  bands  of  regiment  after  regiment 
played  the  "Star-Spangled  Banner,"  all,  officers 
and  men  alike,  stood  with  heads  uncovered,  wher 
ever  they  were,  until  the  last  strains  of  the  anthem 
died  away  in  the  hot  sunset  air. 


112 


IV 

THE   CAVALRY   AT   SANTIAGO 

ON  June  3Oth  we  received  orders  to  hold  our 
selves  in  readiness  to  march  against  Santi 
ago,  and  all  the  men  were  greatly  over 
joyed,  for  the  inaction  was  trying.  The  one 
narrow  road,  a  mere  muddy  track  along  which 
the  army  was  encamped,  was  choked  with  the 
marching  columns.  As  always  happened  when 
we  had  to  change  camp,  everything  that  the  men 
could  not  carry,  including,  of  course,  the  officers' 
baggage,  was  left  behind. 

About  noon  the  Rough  Riders  struck  camp 
and  drew  up  in  column  beside  the  road  in  the 
rear  of  the  First  Cavalry.  Then  we  sat  down  and 
waited  for  hours  before  the  order  came  to  march, 
while  regiment  after  regiment  passed  by,  varied 
by  bands  of  tatterdemalion  Cuban  insurgents, 
and  by  mule-trains  with  ammunition.  Every 
man  carried  three  days'  provisions.  We  had  suc 
ceeded  in  borrowing  mules  sufficient  to  carry 
along  the  dynamite  gun  and  the  automatic  Colts. 

At  last,  toward  mid-afternoon,  the  First  and 
113 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

Tenth  Cavalry,  ahead  of  us,  marched,  and  we 
followed.  The  First  was  under  the  command  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Veile,  the  Tenth  under  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Baldwin.  Every  few  minutes 
there  would  be  a  stoppage  in  front,  and  at  the 
halt  I  would  make  the  men  sit  or  lie  down  be 
side  the  track,  loosening  their  packs.  The  heat 
was  intense  as  we  passed  through  the  still,  close 
jungle,  which  formed  a  wall  on  either  hand. 
Occasionally  we  came  to  gaps  or  open  spaces, 
where  some  regiment  was  camped,  and  now  and 
then  one  of  these  regiments,  which  apparently 
had  been  left  out  of  its  proper  place,  would  file 
into  the  road,  breaking  up  our  line  of  march.  As 
a  result,  we  finally  found  ourselves  following 
merely  the  tail  of  the  regiment  ahead  of  us,  an 
infantry  regirrfent  being  thrust  into  the  interval. 
Once  or  twice  we  had  to  wade  streams.  Dark 
ness  came  on,  but  we  still  continued  to  march. 
It  was  about  eight  o'clock  when  we  turned  to  the 
left  and  climbed  El  Poso  hill,  on  whose  summit 
there  was  a  ruined  ranch  and  sugar  factory,  now, 
of  course,  deserted.  Here  I  found  General 
Wood,  who  was  arranging  for  the  camping  of 
the  brigade.  Our  own  arrangements  for  the 
night  were  simple.  I  extended  each  troop  across 
the  road  into  the  jungle,  and  then  the  men  threw 
down  their  belongings  where  they  stood  and  slept 

114 


THE   CAVALRY    AT    SANTIAGO 

on  their  arms.  Fortunately,  there  was  no  rain. 
Wood  and  I  curled  up  under  our  rain-coats  on 
the  saddle-blankets,  while  his  two  aides,  Captain 
A.  L.  Mills  and  Lieutenant  W.  E.  Shipp,  slept 
near  us.  We  were  up  before  dawn  and  getting 
breakfast.  Mills  and  Shipp  had  nothing  to  eat, 
and  they  breakfasted  with  Wood  and  myself,  as 
we  had  been  able  to  get  some  handfuls  of  beans, 
and  some  coffee  and  sugar,  as  well  as  the  ordinary 
bacon  and  hardtack. 

We  did  not  talk  much,  for  though  we  were  in 
ignorance  as  to  precisely  what  the  day  would 
bring  forth,  we  knew  that  we  should  see  fight 
ing.  We  had  slept  soundly  enough,  although,  of 
course,  both  Wood  and  I  during  the  night  had 
made  a  round  of  the  sentries,  he  of  the  brigade, 
and  I  of  the  regiment;  and  I  suppose  that,  ex 
cepting  among  hardened  veterans,  there  is  always 
a  certain  feeling  of  uneasy  excitement  the  night 
before  the  battle. 

Mills  and  Shipp  were  both  tall,  fine-looking 
men,  of  tried  courage,  and  thoroughly  trained  in 
every  detail  of  their  profession;  I  remember  being 
struck  by  the  quiet,  soldierly  way  they  were 
going  about  their  work  early  that  morning. 
Before  noon  one  was  killed  and  the  other  danger 
ously  wounded. 

General  Wheeler  was  sick,  but  with  his  usual 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

indomitable  pluck  and  entire  indifference  to  his 
own  personal  comfort,  he  kept  to  the  front.  He 
was  unable  to  retain  command  of  the  cavalry 
division,  which  accordingly  devolved  upon  Gen 
eral  Samuel  Sumner,  who  commanded  it  until 
mid-afternoon,  when  the  bulk  of  the  fighting  was 
over.  General  Sutnner's  own  brigade  fell  to 
Colonel  Henry  Carroll.  General  Sumner  led  the 
advance  with  the  cavalry,  and  the  battle  was 
fought  by  him  and  by  General  Kent,  who  com 
manded  the  infantry  division,  and  whose  foremost 
brigade  was  led  by  General  Hawkins. 

As  the  sun  rose  the  men  fell  in,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  battery  of  field-guns  was  brought 
up  on  the  hill-crest  just  beyond,  between  us 
and  toward  Santiago.  It  was  a  fine  sight  to  see 
the  great  horses  straining  under  the  lash  as 
they  whirled  the  guns  up  the  hill  and  into  po 
sition. 

Our  brigade  was  drawn  up  on  the  hither  side 
of  a  kind  of  half  basin,  a  big  band  of  Cubans 
being  off  to  the  left.  As  yet  we  had  received  no 
orders,  except  that  we  were  told  that  the  main 
fighting  was  to  be  done  by  Lawton's  infantry 
division,  which  was  to  take  El  Caney,  several 
miles  to  our  right,  while  we  were  simply  to  make 
a  diversion.  This  diversion  was  to  be  made 
mainly  with  the  artillery,  and  the  battery  which 

116 


General  Sumner,  who  Commanded  the  Cavalry 
Division  During  the  San  Juan  Fight. 


THE   CAVALRY   AT   SANTIAGO 

had  taken  position  immediately  in  front  of  us 
was  to  begin  when  Lawton  began. 

It  was  about  six  o'clock  that  the  first  report  of 
the  cannon  from  El  Caney  came  booming  to  us 
across  the  miles  of  still  jungle.  It  was  a  very 
lovely  morning,  the  sky  .of  cloudless  blue,  while 
the  level,  shimmering  rays  from  the  just-risen  sun 
brought  into  fine  relief  the  splendid  palms  which 
here  and  there  towered  above  the  lower  growth. 
The  lofty  and  beautiful  mountains  hemmed  in 
the  Santiago  plain,  making  it  an  amphitheatre  for 
the  battle. 

Immediately  our  guns  opened,  and  at  the 
report  great  clouds  of  white  smoke  hung  on  the 
ridge  crest.  For  a  minute  or  two  there  was  no 
response.  Wood  and  I  were  sitting  together,  and 
Wood  remarked  to  me  that  he  wished  our  bri 
gade  could  be  moved  somewhere  else,  for  we 
were  directly  in  line  of  any  return  fire  aimed  by 
the  Spaniards  at  the  battery.  Hardly  had  he 
spoken  when  there  was  a  peculiar  whistling,  sing 
ing  sound  in  the  air,  and  immediately  afterward  the 
noise  of  something  exploding  over  our  heads.  It 
was  shrapnel  from  the  Spanish  batteries.  We 
sprung  to  our  feet  and  leaped  on  our  horses.  Im 
mediately  afterward  a  second  shot  came  which  burst 
directly  above  us;  and  then  a  third.  From  the 
second  shell  one  of  the  shrapnel  bullets  dropped 

117 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

on  my  wrist,  hardly  breaking  the  skin,  but  raising 
a  bump  about  as  big  as  a  hickory-nut.  The  same 
shell  wounded  four  of  my  regiment,  one  of  them 
being  Mason  Mitchell,  and  two  or  three  of  the 
regulars  were  also  hit,  one  losing  his  leg  by  a 
great  fragment  of  shell.  .Another  shell  exploded 
right  in  the  middle  of  the  Cubans,  killing  and 
wounding  a  good  many,  while  the  remainder  scat 
tered  like  guinea-hens.  Wood's  led  horse  was 
also  shot  through  the  lungs,  I  at  once  hustled 
my  regiment  over  the  crest  of  the  hill  into  the 
thick  underbrush,  where  I  had  no  little  difficulty 
in  getting  them  together  again  into  column. 

Meanwhile  the  firing  continued  for  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes,  until  it  gradually  died  away.  As 
the  Spaniards  used  smokeless  powder,  their  artil 
lery  had  an  enormous  advantage  over  ours,  and, 
moreover,  we  did  not  have  the  best  type  of  mod 
ern  guns,  our  fire  being  slow. 

As  soon  as  the  firing  ceased,  Wood  formed  his 
brigade,  with  my  regiment  in  front,  and  gave  me 
orders  to  follow  behind  the  First  Brigade,  which 
was  just  moving  off  the  ground.  In  column  of 
fours  we  marched  down  the  trail  toward  the  ford 
of  the  San  Juan  River.  We  passed  two  or  three 
regiments  of  infantry,  and  were  several  times 
halted  before  we  came  to  the  ford.  The  First 
Brigade,  which  was  under  Colonel  Carroll — Lieu- 

118 


THE   CAVALRY    AT    SANTIAGO 

tenant-Colonel  Hamilton  commanding  the  Ninth 
Regiment,  Major  Wessels  the  Third,  and  Captain 
Kerr  the  Sixth — had  already  crossed  and  was 
marching  to  the  right,  parallel  to,  but  a  little  dis 
tance  from,  the  river.  The  Spaniards  in  the 
trenches  and  block-houses  on  top  of  the  hills  in 
front  were  already  firing  at  the  brigade  in  desul 
tory  fashion.  The  extreme  advance  of  the  Ninth 
Cavalry  was  under  Lieutenants  McNamee  and 
Hartwick.  They  were  joined  by  General  Haw 
kins,  with  his  staff,  who  was  looking  over  the 
ground  and  deciding  on  the  route  he  should  take 
his  infantry  brigade. 

Our  orders  had  been  of  the  vaguest  kind,  being 
simply  to  march  to  the  right  and  connect  with 
Lawton — with  whom,  of  course,  there  was  no 
chance  of  our  connecting.  No  reconnoissance  had 
been  made,  and  the  exact  position  and  strength 
of  the  Spaniards  was  not  known.  A  captive  bal 
loon  was  up  in  the  air  at  this  moment,  but  it  was 
worse  than  useless.  A  previous  proper  reconnois 
sance  and  proper  look-out  from  the  hills  would 
have  given  us  exact  information.  As  it  was,  Gen 
erals  Kent,  Sumner,  and  Hawkins  had  to  be  their 
own  reconnoissance,  and  they  fought  their  troops 
so  well  that  we  won  anyhow. 

I  was  now  ordered  to  cross  the  ford,  march  half 
a  mile  or  so  to  the  right,  and  then  halt  and  await 

119 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

further  orders ;  and  I  promptly  hurried  my  men 
across,  for  the  fire  was  getting  hot,  and  the  captive 
balloon,  to  the  horror  of  everybody,  was  coming 
down  to  the  ford.  Of  course,  it  was  a  special  tar 
get  for  the  enemy's  fire.  I  got  my  men  across 
before  it  reached  the  ford.  There  it  partly  col 
lapsed  and  remained,  causing  severe  loss  of  life, 
as  it  indicated  the  exact  position  where  the  Tenth 
and  the  First  Cavalry,  and  the  infantry,  were 
crossing. 

As  I  led  my  column  slowly  along,  under  the 
intense  heat,  through  the  high  grass  of  the  open 
jungle,  the  First  Brigade  was  to  our  left,  and  the 
firing  between  it  and  the  Spaniards  on  the  hills 
grew  steadily  hotter  and  hotter.  After  awhile  I 
came  to  a  sunken  lane,  and  as  by  this  time  the 
First  Brigade  had  stopped  and  was  engaged  in  a 
stand-up  fight,  I  halted  my  men  and  sent  back 
word  for  orders.  As  we  faced  toward  the  Spanish 
hills  my  regiment  was  on  the  right  with  next  to 
it  and  a  little  in  advance  the  First  Cavalry,  and 
behind  them  the  Tenth.  In  our  front  the  Ninth 
held  the  right,  the  Sixth  the  centre,  and  the  Third 
the  left;  but  in  the  jungle  the  lines  were  already 
overlapping  in  places.  Kent's  infantry  were  com 
ing  up,  farther  to  the  left. 

Captain  Mills  was  with  me.  The  sunken  lane, 
which  had  a  wire  fence  on  either  side,  led  straight 

120 


THE   CAVALRY   AT   SANTIAGO 

up  toward,  and  between,  the  two  hills  in  our  front 
the  hill  on  the  left,  which  contained  heavy  block 
houses,  being  farther  away  from  us  than  the  hill 
on  our  right,  which  we  afterward  grew  to  call 
Kettle  Hill,  and  which  was  surmounted  merely 
by  some  large  ranch  buildings  or  haciendas,  with 
sunken  brick-lined  walls  and  cellars.  I  got  the 
men  as  well-sheltered  as  I  could.  Many  of  them 
lay  close  under  the  bank  of  the  lane,  others  slipped 
into  the  San  Juan  River  and  crouched  under  its 
hither  bank,  while  the  rest  lay  down  behind  the 
patches  of  bushy  jungle  in  the  tall  grass.  The 
heat  was  intense,  and  many  of  the  men  were  al 
ready  showing  signs  of  exhaustion.  The  sides  of 
the  hills  in  front  were  bare ;  but  the  country  up 
to  them  was,  for  the  most  part,  covered  with  such 
dense  jungle  that  in  charging  through  it  no  ac 
curacy  of  formation  could  possibly  be  preserved. 

The  fight  was  now  on  in  good  earnest,  and  the 
Spaniards  on  the  hills  were  engaged  in  heavy  vol 
ley  firing.  The  Mauser  bullets  drove  in  sheets 
through  the  trees  and  the  tall  jungle  grass,  making 
a  peculiar  whirring  or  rustling  sound ;  some  of 
the  bullets  seemed  to  pop  in  the  air,  so  that  we 
thought  they  were  explosive ;  and,  indeed,  many 
of  those  which  were  coated  with  brass  did  explode, 
in  the  sense  that  the  brass  coat  was  ripped  off, 
mak'ng  a  thin  plate  of  hard  metal  with  a  jagged 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

edge,  which  inflicted  a  ghastly  wound.  These 
bullets  were  shot  from  a  45-calibre  rifle  carrying 
smokeless  powder,  which  was  much  used  by  the 
guerillas  and  irregular  Spanish  troops.  The  Mau 
ser  bullets  themselves  made  a  small  clean  hole, 
with  the  result  that  the  wound  healed  in  a  most 
astonishing  manner.  One  or  two  of  cur  men  who 
were  shot  in  the  head  had  the  skull  blown  open, 
but  elsewhere  the  wounds  from  the  minute  steel- 
coated  bullet,  with  its  very  high  velocity,  were  cer 
tainly  nothing  like  as  serious  as  those  made  by  the 
old  large-calibre,  low-power  rifle.  If  a  man  was  shot 
through  the  heart,  spine,  or  brain  he  was,  of  course, 
killed  instantly;  but  very  few  of  the  wounded  died 
— even  under  the  appalling  conditions  which  pre 
vailed,  owing  to  the  lack  of  attendance  and  sup 
plies  in  the  field-hospitals  with  the  army. 

While  we  were  lying  in  reserve  we  were  suf 
fering  nearly  as  much  as  afterward  when  we 
charged.  I  think  that  the  bulk  of  the  Spanish 
fire  was  practically  unaimed,  or  at  least  not  aimed 
at  any  particular  man,  and  only  occasionally  at  a 
particular  body  of  men ;  but  they  swept  the  whole 
field  of  battle  up  to  the  edge  of  the  river,  and 
man  after  man  in  our  ranks  fell  dead  or  wounded, 
although  I  had  the  troopers  scattered  out  far  apart, 
taking  advantage  of  every  scrap  of  cover. 

Devereux  was  dangerously  shot  while  he  lay 

122 


THE   CAVALRY    AT   SANTIAGO 

with  his  men  on  the  edge  of  the  river.  A  young 
West  Point  cadet,  Ernest  Haskell,  who  had  taken 
his  holiday  with  us  as  an  acting  second  lieutenant, 
was  shot  through  the  stomach.  He  had  shown 
great  coolness  and  gallantry,  which  he  displayed 
to  an  even  more  marked  degree  after  being 
wounded,  shaking  my  hand  and  saying,  "All 
right,  Colonel,  I'm  going  to  get  well.  Don't 
bother  about  me,  and  don't  let  any  man  come 
away  with  me."  When  I  shook  hands  with  him, 
I  thought  he  would  surely  die;  yet  he  recov 
ered. 

The  most  serious  loss  that  I  and  the  regiment 
could  have  suffered  befell  just  before  we  charged. 
Bucky  O'Neill  was  strolling  up  and  down  in  front 
of  his  men,  smoking  his  cigarette,  for  he  was  in- 
veterately  addicted  to  the  habit.  He  had  a  theory 
that  an  officer  ought  never  to  take  cover — a  theory 
which  was,  of  course,  wrong,  though  in  a  volun 
teer  organization  the  officers  should  certainly  ex 
pose  themselves  very  fully,  simply  for  the  effect 
on  the  men;  our  regimental  toast  on  the  trans 
port  running,  "  The  officers ;  may  the  war  last 
until  each  is  killed,  wounded,  or  promoted."  As 
O'Neill  moved  to  and  fro,  his  men  begged  him 
to  lie  down,  and  one  of  the  sergeants  said,  "Cap 
tain,  a  bullet  is  sure  to  hit  you."  O'Neill  took 
his  cigarette  out  of  his  mouth,  and  blowing  out  a 

123 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

cloud  of  smoke  laughed  and  said,  "  Sergeant,  the 
Spanish  bullet  isn't  made  that  will  kill  me."  A 
little  later  he  discussed  for  a  moment  with  one  of 
the  regular  officers  the  direction  from  which  the 
Spanish  fire  was  coming.  As  he  turned  on  his 
heel  a  bullet  struck  him  in  the  mouth  and  came 
out  at  the  back  of  his  head;  so  that  even  before 
he  fell  his  wild  and  gallant  soul  had  gone  out 
into  the  darkness. 

My  orderly  was  a  brave  young  Harvard  boy, 
Sanders,  from  the  quaint  old  Massachusetts  town 
of  Salem.  The  work  of  an  orderly  on  foot,  under 
the  blazing  sun,  through  the  hot  and  matted  jun 
gle,  was  very  severe,  and  finally  the  heat  overcame 
him.  He  dropped ;  nor  did  he  ever  recover  fully, 
and  later  he  died  from  fever.  In  his  place  I  sum 
moned  a  trooper  whose  name  I  did  not  know. 
Shortly  afterward,  while  sitting  beside  the  bank, 
I  directed  him  to  go  back  and  ask  whatever  gen 
eral  he  came  across  if  I  could  not  advance,  as  my 
men  were  being  much  cut  up.  He  stood  up  to 
salute  and  then  pitched  forward  across  my  knees, 
a  bullet  having  gone  through  his  throat,  cutting 
the  carotid. 

When  O'Neill  was  shot,  his  troop,  who  were 
devoted  to  him,  were  for  the  moment  at  a  loss 
whom  to  follow.  One  of  their  number,  Henry 
Bardshar,  a  huge  Arizona  miner,  immediately  at- 

124 


THE   CAVALRY   AT    SANTIAGO 

tached  himself  to  me  as  my  orderly,  and  from  that 
moment  he  was  closer  to  me,  not  only  in  the  fight, 
but  throughout  the  rest  of  the  campaign,  than  any 
other  man,  not  even  excepting  the  color-sergeant, 
Wright. 

Captain  Mills  was  with  me ;  gallant  Ship  had 
already  been  killed.  Mills  was  an  invaluable  aide, 
absolutely  cool,  absolutely  unmoved  or  flurried  in 
any  way. 

I  sent  messenger  after  messenger  to  try  to  find 
General  Sumner  or  General  Wood  and  get  pen 
mission  to  advance,  and  was  just  about  making 
up  my  mind  that  in  the  absence  of  orders  I  had 
better  "  march  toward  the  guns,"  when  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Dorst  came  riding  up  through  the  storm 
of  bullets  with  the  welcome  command  "  to  move 
forward  and  support  the  regulars  in  the  assault  on 
the  hills  in  front."  General  Sumner  had  obtained 
authority  to  advance  from  Lieutenant  Miley,  who 
was  representing  General  Shafter  at  the  front,  and 
was  in  the  thick  of  the  fire.  The  General  at  once 
ordered  the  first  brigade  to  advance  on  the  hills, 
and  the  second  to  support  it.  He  himself  was 
riding  his  horse  along  the  lines,  superintending 
the  fight.  Later  I  overheard  a  couple  of  my  men 
talking  together  about  him.  What  they  said  il 
lustrates  the  value  of  a  display  of  courage  among 
the  officers  in  hardening  their  soldiers;  for  their 

125 


THE    ROUGH    RIDERS 

theme  was  how,  as  they  were  lying  clown  under  a 
fire  which  they  could  not  return,  and  were  in  con 
sequence  feeling  rather  nervous,  General  Sumner 
suddenly  appeared  on  horseback,  sauntering  by 
quite  unmoved ;  and,  said  one  of  the  men,  "  That 
made  us  feel  all  right.  If  the  General  could  stand 
it,  we  could." 

The  instant  I  received  the  order  I  sprang  on 
my  horse  and  then  my  "  crowded  hour "  began. 
The  guerillas  had  been  shooting  at  us  from  the 
edges  of  the  jungle  and  from  their  perches  in  the 
leafy  trees,  and  as  they  used  smokeless  powder,  it 
was  almost  impossible  to  see  them,  though  a  few 
of  my  men  had  from  time  to  time  responded. 
We  had  also  suffered  from  the  hill  on  our  right 
front,  which  was  held  chiefly  by  guerillas,  although 
there  were  also  some  Spanish  regulars  with  them, 
for  we  found  their  dead.  I  formed  my  men  in 
column  of  troops,  each  troop  extended  in  open 
skirmishing  order,  the  right  resting  on  the  wire 
fences  which  bordered  the  sunken  lane.  Captain 
Jenkins  led  the  first  squadron,  his  eyes  literally 
dancing  with  joyous  excitement. 

I  started  in  the  rear  of  the  regiment,  the  posi 
tion  in  which  the  colonel  should  theoretically  stay. 
Captain  Mills  and  Captain  McCormick  were  both 
with  me  as  aides ;  but  I  speedily  had  to  send  them 
off  on  special  duty  in  getting  the  different  bodies 

126 


THE   CAVALRY   AT    SANTIAGO 

of  men  forward.  I  had  intended  to  go  into  action 
on  foot  as  at  Las  Guasimas,  but  the  heat  was  so 
oppressive  that  I  found  I  should  be  quite  unable 
to  run  up  and  down  the  line  and  superintend 
matters  unless  I  was  mounted;  and,  moreover, 
vvhen  on  horseback,  I  could  see  the  men  better 
and  they  could  see  me  better. 

A  curious  incident  happened  as  I  was  getting 
the  men  started  forward.  Always  when  men  have 
been  lying  down  under  cover  for  some  time,  and 
are  required  to  advance,  there  is  a  little  hesitation, 
each  looking  to  see  whether  the  others  are  going 
forward.  As  I  rode  down  the  line,  calling  to  the 
troopers  to  go  forward,  and  rasping  brief  directions 
to  the  captains  and  lieutenants,  I  came  upon  a 
man  lying  behind  a  little  bush,  and  I  ordered  him 
to  jump  up.  I  do  not  think  he  understood  that 
we  were  making  a  forward  move,  and  he  looked 
up  at  me  for  a  moment  with  hesitation,  and  I  again 
bade  him  rise,  jeering  him  and  saying:  "Are  you 
afraid  to  stand  up  when  I  am  on  horseback  ?  "  As 
I  spoke,  he  suddenly  fell  forward  on  his  face,  a  bul 
let  having  struck  him  and  gone  through  him  length 
wise.  I  suppose  the  bullet  had  been  aimed  at  me ; 
at  any  rate,  I,  who  was  on  horseback  in  the  open, 
was  unhurt,  and  the  man  lying  flat  on  the  ground 
in  the  cover  beside  me  was  killed.  There  were 
several  pairs  of  brothers  with  us ;  of  the  two  Nor- 

127 


THE    ROUGH    RIDERS 

tons  one  was  killed ;  of  the  two  McCurdys  one 
was  wounded. 

I  soon  found  that  I  could  get  that  line,  behind 
which  I  personally  was,  faster  forward  than  the 
one  immediately  in  front  of  it,  with  the  result  that 
the  two  rearmost  lines  of  the  regiment  began  to 
crowd  together ;  so  I  rode  through  them  both,  the 
better  to  move  on  the  one  in  front.  This  hap 
pened  with  every  line  in  succession,  until  I  found 
myself  at  the  head  of  the  regiment. 

Both  lieutenants  of  B  Troop  from  Arizona  had 
been  exerting  themselves  greatly,  and  both  were 
overcome  by  the  heat;  but  Sergeants  Campbell 
and  Davidson  took  it  forward  in  splendid  shape. 
Some  of  the  men  from  this  troop  and  from  the 
other  Arizona  troop  (Bucky  O'Neill's)  joined  me 
as  a  kind  of  fighting  tail. 

The  Ninth  Regiment  was  immediately  in  front 
of  me,  and  the  First  on  my  left,  and  these  went 
up  Kettle  Hill  with  my  regiment.  The  Third, 
Sixth,  and  Tenth  went  partly  up  Kettle  Hill  (fol 
lowing  the  Rough  Riders  and  the  Ninth  and  First), 
and  partly  between  that  and  the  block-house  hill, 
which  the  infantry  were  assailing.  General  Sum- 
ner  in  person  gave  the  Tenth  the  order  to  charge 
the  hills;  and  it  went  forward  at  a  rapid  gait. 
The  three  regiments  went  forward  more  or  less 
intermingled,  advancing  steadily  and  keeping  up 

128 


THE   CAVALRY    AT   SANTIAGO 

a  heavy  fire.  Up  Kettle  Hill  Sergeant  George 
Berry,  of  the  Tenth,  bore  not  only  his  own  regi 
mental  colors  but  those  of  the  Third,  the  color- 
sergeant  of  the  Third  having  been  shot  down ;  he 
kept  shouting,  u  Dress  on  the  colors,  boys,  dress 
on  the  colors ! "  as  he  followed  Captain  Ayres, 
who  was  running  in  advance  of  his  men,  shouting 
and  waving  his  hat.  The  Tenth  Cavalry  lost  a 
greater  proportion  of  its  officers  than  any  other 
regiment  in  the  battle — eleven  out  of  twenty-two. 

By  the  time  I  had  come  to  the  head  of  the 
regiment  we  ran  into  the  left  wing  of  the  Ninth 
Regulars,  and  some  of  the  First  Regulars,  who 
were  lying  down ;  that  is,  the  troopers  were  lying 
down,  while  the  officers  were  walking  to  and  fro. 
The  officers  of  the  white  and  colored  regiments 
alike  took  the  greatest  pride  in  seeing  that  the 
men  more  than  did  their  duty ;  and  the  mortality 
"among  them  was  great. 

I  spoke  to  the  captain  in  command  of  the  rear 
platoons,  saying  that  I  had  been  ordered  to  support 
the  regulars  in  the  attack  upon  the  hills,  and  that 
in  my  judgment  we  could  not  take  these  hills  by 
firing  at  them,  and  that  we  must  rush  them.  He 
answered  thai  his  orders  were  to  keep  his  men 
lying  where  they  were,  and  that  he  could  not 
charge  without  orders.  I  asked  where  the  Colonel 
was,  and  as  he  was  not  in  sight,  said,  "  Then  I  am 

11Q 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

the  ranking  officer  here  and  I  give  the  order 
to  charge  " — for  I  did  not  want  to  keep  the  men 
longer  in  the  open  suffering  under  a  fire  which 
they  could  not  effectively  return.  Naturally  the 
Captain  hesitated  to  obey  this  order  when  no  word 
had  been  received  from  his  own  Colonel.  So  I 
said,  "  Then  let  my  men  through,  sir,"  and  rode 
on  through  the  lines,  followed  by  the  grinning 
Rough  Riders,  whose  attention  had  been  com 
pletely  taken  off  the  Spanish  bullets,  partly  by  my 
dialogue  with  the  regulars,  and  partly  by  the  lan 
guage  I  had  been  using  to  themselves  as  I  got  the 
lines  forward,  for  I  had  been  joking  with  some 
and  swearing  at  others,  as  the  exigencies  of  the 
case  seemed  to  demand.  When  we  started  to  go 
through,  however,  it  proved  too  much  for  the 
regulars,  and  they  jumped  up  and  came  along, 
their  officers  and  troops  mingling  with  mine,  all 
being  delighted  at  the  chance.  When  I  got  to 
where  the  head  of  the  left  wing  of  the  Ninth  was 
lying,  through  the  courtesy  of  Lieutenant  Hart- 
wick,  two  of  whose  colored  troopers  threw  down 
the  fence,  I  was  enabled  to  get  back  into  the  lane, 
at  the  same  time  waving  my  hat,  and  giving  the 
order  to  charge  the  hill  on  our  right  front.  Out 
of  my  sight,  over  on  the  right,  Captains  McBlain 
and  Taylor,  of  the  Ninth,  made  up  their  minds 
independently  to  charge  at  just  about  this  time ; 

130 


THE   CAVALRY   AT    SANTIAGO 

and  at  almost  the  same  moment  Colonels  Carroll 
and  Hamilton,  who  were  off,  I  believe,  to  my  left, 
.vhere  we  could  see  neither  them  nor  their  men, 
gave  the  order  to  advance.  But  of  all  this  I  knew 
nothing  at  the  time.  The  whole  line,  tired  of 
waiting,  and  eager  to  close  with  the  enemy,  was 
straining  to  go  forward ;  and  it  seems  that  differ 
ent  parts  slipped  the  leash  at  almost  the  same  mo 
ment.  The  First  Cavalry  came  up  the  hill  just 
behind,  and  partly  mixed  with  my  regiment  and 
the  Ninth.  As  already  said,  portions  of  the  Third, 
Sixth,  and  Tenth  followed,  while  the  rest  of  the 
members  of  these  three  regiments  kept  more  in 
touch  with  the  infantry  on  our  left. 

By  this  time  we  were  all  in  the  spirit  of  the 
thing  and  greatly  excited  by  the  charge,  the  men 
cheering  and  running  forward  between  shots,  while 
the  delighted  faces  of  the  foremost  officers,  like 
Captain  C.  J.  Stevens,  of  the  Ninth,  as  they  ran 
at  the  head  of  their  troops,  will  always  stay  in  my 
mind.  As  soon  as  I  was  in  the  line  I  galloped 
forward  a  few  yards  until  I  saw  that  the  men  were 
well  started,  and  then  galloped  back  to  help 
Goodrich,  who  was  in  command  of  his  troop, 
get  his  men  across  the  road  so  as  to  attack  the 
hill  from  that  side.  Captain  Mills  had  already 
thrown  three  of  the  other  troops  of  the  regiment 
across  this  road  for  the  same  purpose.  Wheeling 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

around,  I  then  again  galloped  toward  the  hill, 
passing  the  shouting,  cheering,  firing  men,  and 
went  up  the  lane,  splashing  through  a  small  stream ; 
when  I  got  abreast  of  the  ranch  buildings  on  the 
top  of  Kettle  Hill,  I  turned  and  went  up  the  slope. 
Being  on  horseback  I  was,  of  course,  able  to  get 
ahead  of  the  men  on  foot,  excepting  my  orderly, 
Henry  Bardshar,  who  had  run  ahead  very  fast  in 
order  to  get  better  shots  at  the  Spaniards,  who 
were  now  running  out  of  the  ranch  buildings. 
Sergeant  Campbell  and  a  number  of  the  Arizona 
men,  and  Dudley  Dean,  among  others,  were  very 
close  behind.  •  Stevens,  with  his  platoon  of  the 
Ninth,  was  abreast  of  us ;  so  were  McNamee  and 
Hartwick.  Some  forty  yards  from  the  top  I  ran 
into  a  wire  fence  and  jumped  off  Little  Texas, 
turning  him  loose.  He  had  been  scraped  by  a 
couple  of  bullets,  one  of  which  nicked  my  elbow, 
and  I  never  expected  to  see  him  again.  As  I  ran 
up  to  the  hill,  Bardshar  stopped  to  shoot,  and  two 
Spaniards  fell  as  he  emptied  his  magazine.  These 
were  the  only  Spaniards  I  actually  saw  fall  tc 
aimed  shots  by  any  one  of  my  men,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  two  guerillas  in  trees. 

Almost  immediately  afterward  the  hill  was  cov 
ered  by  the  troops,  both  Rough  Riders  and  the 
colored  troopers  of  the  Ninth,  and  some  men  of 
the  First.  There  was  the  usual  confusion,  and 

132 


THE   CAVALRY   AT    SANTIAGO 

afterward  there  was  much  discussion  as  to  exactly 
who  had  been  on  the  hill  first.  The  first  guidons 
planted  there  were  those  of  the  three  New  Mexi 
can  troops,  G,  E,  and  F,  of  my  regiment,  under 
their  Captains,  Llewellen,  Luna.;  and  Muller,  but 
on  the  extreme  right  of  the  hill,  at  the  opposite 
end  from  where  we  struck  it;  Captains  Taylor  and 
McBlain  and  their  men  of  the  Ninth  were  first  up. 
Each  of  the  five  captains  was  firm  in  the  belief 
that  his  troop  was  first  up.  As  for  the  individual 
men,  each  of  whom  honestly  thought  he  was  first 
on  the  summit,  their  name  was  legion.  One 
Spaniard  was  captured  in  the  buildings,  another 
was  shot  as  he  tried  to  hide  himself,  and  a  few 
others  were  killed  as  they  ran. 

Among  the  many  deeds  of  conspicuous  gallan 
try  here  performed,  two,  both  to  the  credit  of  the 
First  Cavalry,  may  be  mentioned  as  examples  of 
the  others,  not  as  exceptions.  Sergeant  Charles 
Karsten,  while  close  beside  Captain  Tutherly,  the 
squadron  commander,  was  hit  by  a  shrapnel  bullet. 
He  continued  on  the  line,  firing  until  his  arm  grew 
numb ;  and  he  then  refused  to  go  to  the  rear,  and 
devoted  himself  to  taking  care  of  the  wounded, 
utterly  unmoved  by  the  heavy  fire.  Trooper 
Hugo  Brittain,  when  wounded,  brought  the  regi 
mental  standard  forward,  waving  it  to  and  fro,  to 
cheer  the  men. 

133 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS. 

No  sooner  were  we  on  the  crest  than  the  Span 
iards  from  the  line  of  hills  in  our  front,  where  they 
were  strongly  intrenched,  opened  a  very  heavy 
fire  upon  us  with  their  rifles.  They  also  opened 
upon  us  with  one  or  two  pieces  of  artillery,  using 
time  fuses  which  burned  very  accurately,  the  shells 
exploding  right  over  our  heads. 

On  the  top  of  the  hill  was  a  huge  iron  kettle, 
or  something  of  the  kind,  probably  used  for  sugar 
refining.  Several  of  our  men  took  shelter  behind 
this.  We  had  a  splendid  view  of  the  charge  on 
the  San  Juan  block-house  to  our  left,  where  the 
infantry  of  Kent,  led  by  Hawkins,  were  climbing 
the  hill.  Obviously  the  proper  thing  to  do  was 
to  help  them,  and  I  got  the  men  together  and 
started  them  volley-firing  against  the  Spaniards 
in  the  San  Juan  block-house  and  in  the  trenches 
around  it.  We  could  only  see  their  heads;  of 
course  this  was  all  we  ever  could  see  when  we 
were  firing  at  them  in  their  trenches.  Stevens  was 
directing  not  only  his  own  colored  troopers,  but  a 
number  of  Rough  Riders;  for  in  a  melee  good 
soldiers  are  always  prompt  to  recognize  a  good 
officer,  and  are  eager  to  follow  him. 

We  kept  up  a  brisk  fire  for  some  five  or  ten 
minutes;  meanwhile  we  were  much  cut  up  our 
selves.  Gallant  Colonel  Hamilton,  than  whom 
there  was  never  a  braver  man,  was  killed,  and 

134 


THE   CAVALRY    AT    SANTIAGO 

equally  gallant  Colonel  Carroll  wounded.  When 
near  the  summit  Captain  Mills  had  been  shot 
through  the  head,  the  bullet  destroying  the  sight 
of  one  eye  permanently  and  of  the  other  tempo 
rarily.  He  would  not  go  back  or  let  any  man 
assist  him,  sitting  down  where  he  was  and  wait 
ing  until  one  of  the  men  brought  him  word  that 
the  hill  was  stormed.  Colonel  Veile  planted  the 
standard  of  the  First  Cavalry  on  the  hill,  and 
General  Sumner  rode  up.  He  was  fighting  his 
division  in  great  form,  and  was  always  himself  in 
the  thick  of  the  fire.  As  the  men  were  much  ex 
cited  by  the  firing,  they  seemed  to  pay  very  little 
heed  to  their  own  losses. 

Suddenly,  above  the  cracking  of  the  carbines, 
rose  a  peculiar  drumming  sound,  and  some  of  the 
men  cried,  "  The  Spanish  machine-guns  !  "  Lis 
tening,  I  made  out  that  it  came  from  the  flat 
ground  to  the  left,  and  jumped  to  my  feet,  smit 
ing  my  hand  on  my  thigh,  and  shouting  aloud 
with  exultation,  "  It's  the  Gatltngs,  men,  our  Gat- 
lings  ! "  Lieutenant  Parker  was  bringing  his  four 
gatlings  into  action,  and  shoving  them  nearer  and 
nearer  the  front.  Now  and  then  the  drumming 
ceased  for  a  moment ;  then  it  would  resound 
again,  always  closer  to  San  Juan  hill,  which 
Parker,  like  ourselves,  was  hammering  to  assist 
the  infantry  attack.  Our  men  cheered  lustily. 

135 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

We  saw  much  of  Parker  after  that,  and  there  was 
never  a  more  welcome  sound  than  his  Gatlings  as 
they  opened.  It  was  the  only  sound  which  I  ever 
heard  my  men  cheer  in  battle. 

The  infantry  got  nearer  and  nearer  the  crest  of 
the  hill.  At  last  we  could  see  the  Spaniards  run 
ning  from  the  rifle-pits  as  the  Americans  came  on 
in  their  final  rush.  Then  I  stopped  my  men  for 
fear  they  should  injure  their  comrades,  and  called 
to  them  to  charge  the  next  line  of  trenches,  on 
the  hills  in  our  front,  from  which  we  had  been 
undergoing  a  good  deal  of  punishment.  Think 
ing  that  the  men  would  all  come,  I  jumped  over 
the  wire  fence  in  front  of  us  and  started  at  the 
double ;  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  troopers  were 
so  excited,  what  with  shooting  and  being  shot,  and 
shouting  and  cheering,  that  they  did  not  hear,  or  did 
not  heed  me ;  and  after  running  about  a  hundred 
yards  I  found  I  had  only  five  men  along  with  me. 
Bullets  were  ripping  the  grass  all  around  us,  and 
one  of  the  men,  Clay  Green,  was  mortally  wound 
ed  ;  another,  Winslow  Clark,  a  Harvard  man,  was 
shot  first  in  the  leg  and  then  through  the  body. 
He  made  not  the  slightest  murmur,  only  asking 
me  to  put  his  water  canteen  where  he  could  get  at 
it,  which  I  did ;  he  ultimately  recovered.  There 
was  no  use  going  on  with  the  remaining  three 
men,  and  I  bade  them  stay  where  they  were  while 

136 


THE   CAVALRY    AT    SANTIAGO 

I  went  back  and  brought  up  the  rest  of  the  bri 
gade.  This  was  a  decidedly  cool  request,  tor 
there  was  really  no  possible  point  in  letting  them 
stay  there  while  I  went  back ;  but  at  the  moment 
it  seemed  perfectly  natural  to  me,  and  apparently  so 
to  them,  for  they  cheerfully  nodded,  and  sat  down 
in  the  grass,  firing  back  at  the  line  of  trenches 
from  which  the  Spaniards  were  shooting  at  them. 
Meanwhile,  I  ran  back,  jumped  over  the  wire 
fence,  and  went  over  the  crest  of  the  hill,  fi-lled 
with  anger  against  the  troopers,  and  especially 
those  of  my  own  regiment,  for  not  having  accom 
panied  me.  They,  of  course,  were  quite  innocent 
of  wrong-doing;  and  even  while  I  taunted  them 
bitterly  for  not  having  followed  me,  it  was  all  I 
could  do  not  to  smile  at  the  look  of  injury  and 
surprise  that  came  over  their  faces,  while  they 
cried  out,  "  We  didn't  hear  you,  we  didn't  see 
you  go,  Colonel ;  lead  on  now,  we'll  sure  follow 
you."  I  wanted  the  other  regiments  to  come  too, 
so  I  ran  down  to  where  General  Sumner  was  and 
asked  him  if  I  might  make  the  charge ;  and  he 
told  me  to  go  and  that  he  would  see  that  the  men 
followed.  By  this  time  everybody  had  his  atten 
tion  attracted,  and  when  I  leaped  over  the  fence 
again,  with  Major  Jenkins  beside  me,  the  men  of 
the  various  regiments  which  were  already  on  the 
hill  came  with  a  rush,  and  we  started  across  the 

137 


THE  ROUGH   RIDERS 

wide  valley  which  lay  between  us  and  the  Spanish 
intrenchments.  Captain  Dimmick,  now  in  com 
mand  of  the  Ninth,  was  bringing  it  forward; 
Captain  McBlain  had  a  number  of  Rough  Riders 
mixed  in  with  his  troop,  and  led  them  all  together; 
Captain  Taylor  had  been  severely  wounded.  The 
long-legged  men  like  Greenway,  Goodrich,  sharp 
shooter  Proffit,  and  others,  outstripped  the  rest  of 
us,  as  we  had  a  considerable  distance  to  go.  Long 
before  we  got  near  them  the  Spaniards  ran,  save 
a  few  here  and  there,  who  either  surrendered  01 
were  shot  down.  When  we  reached  the  trenches 
we  found  them  filled  with  dead  bodies  in  the  light 
blue  and  white  uniform  of  the  Spanish  regular 
army.  There  were  very  few  wounded.  Most  of 
the  fallen  had  little  holes  in  their  heads  from  which 
their  brains  were  oozing;  for  they  were  covered 
from  the  neck  down  by  the  trenches. 

It  was  at  this  place  that  Major  Wessels,  of  the 
Third  Cavalry,  was  shot  in  the  back  of  the  head. 
It  was  a  severe  wound,  but  after  having  it  bound 
up  he  again  came  to  the  front  in  command  of  his 
regiment.  Among  the  men  who  were  foremost 
was  Lieutenant  Milton  F.  Davis,  of  the  First 
Cavalry.  He  had  been  joined  by  three  men  of 
the  Seventy-first  New  York,  who  ran  up,  and, 
saluting,  said,  "  Lieutenant,  we  want  to  go  with 
you,  our  officers  won't  lead  us."  One  of  the  brave 

138 


THE   CAVALRY   AT   SANTIAGO 

fellows  was  soon  afterward  shot  in  the  face-  Lieu 
tenant  Davis's  first  sergeant,  Clarence  Gould,  killed 
a  Spanish  soldier  with  his  revolver,  just  as  the  Span 
iard  was  aiming  at  one  of  my  Rough  Riders.  At 
about  the  same  time  I  also  shot  one.  I  was  with 
Henry  Bardshar,  running  up  at  the  double,  and 
two  Spaniards  leaped  from  the  trenches  and  fired 
at  us,  not  ten  yards  away.  As  they  turned  to  run 
I  closed  in  and  fired  twice,  missing  the  first  and 
killing  the  second.  My  revolver  was  from  the 
sunken  battle-ship  Maine,  and  had  been  given  me 
by  my  brother-in-law,  Captain  W.  S.  Cowles,  of 
the  Navy.  At  the  time  I  did  not  know  of  Gould's 
exploit,  and  supposed  my  feat  to  be  unique ;  and 
although  Gould  had  killed  his  Spaniard  in  the 
trenches,  not  very  far  from  me,  I  never  learned  of 
it  until  weeks  after.  It  is  astonishing  what  a  lim 
ited  area  of  vision  and  experience  one  has  in  the 
hurly-burly  of  a  battle. 

There  was  very  great  confusion  at  this  time, 
the  different  regiments  being  completely  inter 
mingled — white  regulars,  colored  regulars,  and 
Rough  Riders.  General  Sumner  had  kept  a  con 
siderable  force  in  reserve  on  Kettle  Hill,  under 
Major  Jackson,  of  the  Third  Cavalry.  We  were 
still  under  a  heavy  fire  and  I  got  together  a  mixed 
lot  of  men  and  pushed  on  from  the  trenches  and 
ranch-houses  which  we  had  just  taken,  driving  the 

139 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

Spaniards  through  a  line  of  palm-t;ees,  and  over 
the  crest  of  a  chain  of  hills.  When  we  reached 
these  crests  we  found  ourselves  overlooking  San 
tiago.  Some  of  the  men,  including  Jenkins, 
Greenway,  and  Goodrich,  pushed  on  almost  by 
themselves  far  ahead.  Lieutenant  Hugh  Berkely, 
of  the  First,  with  a  sergeant  and  two  troopers, 
reached  the  extreme  front.  He  was,  at  the  time, 
ahead  of  everyone ;  the  sergeant  was  killed  and 
one  trooper  wounded ;  but  the  lieutenant  and  the 
remaining  trooper  stuck  to  their  post  for  the  rest 
of  the  afternoon  until  our  line  was  gradually  ex 
tended  to  include  them. 

While  I  was  re-forming  the  troops  on  the  chain 
of  hills,  one  of  General  Sumner's  aides,  Captain 
Robert  Howze — as  dashing  and  gallant  an  officer 
as  there  was  in  the  whole  gallant  cavalry  division, 
by  the  way — came  up  with  orders  to  me  to  halt 
where  I  was,  not  advancing  farther,  but  to  hold 
the  hill  at  all  hazards.  Howze  had  his  horse,  and 
I  had  some  difficulty  in  making  him  take  proper 
shelter;  he  stayed  with  us  for  quite  a  time,  un 
able  to  make  up  his  mind  to  leave  the  extreme 
front,  and  meanwhile  jumping  at  the  chance  to 
render  any  service,  of  risk  or  otherwise,  which  the 
moment  developed. 

I  now  had  under  me  all  the  fragments  of  the 
six  cavalry  regiments  which  were  at  the  extreme 

140 


THE   CAVALRY    AT    SANTIAGO 

front,  being  the  highest  officer  left  there,  and  I 
was  in  immediate  command  of  them  for  the  re 
mainder  of  the  afternoon  and  that  night.  The 
Ninth  was  over  to  the  right,  and  the  Thirteenth 
Infantry  afterward  came  up  beside  it.  The  rest 
of  Kent's  infantry  was  to  our  left.  Of  the  Tenth, 
Lieutenants  Anderson,  Muller,  and  Fleming  re 
ported  to  me ;  Anderson  was  slightly  wounded, 
but  he  paid  no  heed  to  this.  All  three,  like  every 
other  officer,  had  troopers  of  various  regiments 
under  them ;  such  mixing  was  inevitable  in  mak 
ing  repeated  charges  through  thick  jungle ;  it  was 
essentially  a  troop  commanders',  indeed,  almost  a 
squad  leaders',  fight.  The  Spaniards  who  had 
been  holding  the  trenches  and  the  line  of  hills, 
had  fallen  back  upon  their  supports  and  we  were 
under  a  very  heavy  fire  both  from  rifles  and  great 
guns.  At  the  point  where  we  were,  the  grass- 
covered  hill-crest  was  gently  rounded,  giving  poor 
cover,  and  I  made  my  men  lie  down  on  the  hither 
slope. 

On  the  extreme  left  Captain  Beck,  of  the  Tenth, 
svith  his  own  troop,  and  small  bodies  of  the  men 
of  other  regiments,  was  exercising  a  practically 
independent  command,  driving  back  the  Span 
iards  whenever  they  showed  any  symptoms  of  ad 
vancing.  He  had  received  his  orders  to  hold  the 
line  at  all  hazards  from  Lieutenant  Andrews,  one 

141 


THE  ROUGH    RIDERS 

of  General  Sumner's  aides,  just  as  I  had  received 
mine  from  Captain  Howze.  Finally,  he  was  re 
lieved  by  some  infantry,  and  then  rejoined  the 
rest  of  the  Tenth,  which  was  engaged  heavily 
until  dark,  Major  Wint  being  among  the  severely 
wounded.  Lieutenant  W.  N.  Smith  was  killed 
Captain  Bigelow  had  been  wounded  three  times. 
Our  artillery  made  one  or  two  efforts  to  come 
into  action  on  the  firing-line  of  the  infantry,  but 
the  black  powder  rendered  each  attempt  fruitless. 
The  Spanish  guns  used  smokeless  powder,  so  that 
it  was  difficult  to  place  them.  In  this  respect  they 
were  on  a  par  with  their  own  infantry  and  with 
our  regular  infantry  and  dismounted  cavalry ;  but 
our  only  two  volunteer  infantry  regiments,  the 
Second  Massachusetts  and  the  Seventy-first  New 
York,  and  our  artillery,  all  had  black  powder. 
This  rendered  the  two  volunteer  regiments,  which 
were  armed  with  the  antiquated  Springfield,  al 
most  useless  in  the  battle,  and  did  practically  the 
same  thing  for  the  artillery  wherever  it  was  formed 
within  rifle  range.  When  one  of  the  guns  was 
discharged  a  thick  cloud  of  smoke  shot  out  and 
hung  over  the  place,  making  an  ideal  target,  and 
in  a  half  minute  every  Spanish  gun  and  rifle  with 
in  range  was  directed  at  the  particular  spot  thus 
indicated ;  the  consequence  was  that  after  a  more 
or  less  lengthy  stand  the  gun  was  silenced  or 

142 


THE   CAVALRY    AT   SANTIAGO 

driven  off.  We  got  no  appreciable  help  from 
our  guns  on  July  1st.  Our  men  were  quick  to 
realize  the  defects  of  our  artillery,  but  they  were 
entirely  philosophic  about  it,  not  showing  the 
least  concern  at  its  failure.  On  the  contrary, 
whenever  they  heard  our  artillery  open  they  would 
grin  as  they  looked  at  one  another  and  remark, 
"  There  go  the  guns  again ;  wonder  how  soon 
they'll  be  shut  up,"  and  shut  up  they  were  sure  to 
be.  The  light  battery  of  Hotchkiss  one-pounders, 
under  Lieutenant  J.  B.  Hughes,  of  the  Tenth 
Cavalry,  was  handled  with  conspicuous  gallantry. 
On  the  hill-slope  immediately  around  me  I  had 
a  mixed  force  composed  of  members  of  most  of 
the  cavalry  regiments,  and  a  few  infantrymen. 
There  were  about  fifty  of  my  Rough  Riders  with 
Lieutenants  Goodrich  and  Carr.  Among  the  rest 
were  perhaps  a  score  of  colored  infantrymen,  but, 
as  it  happened,  at  this  particular  point  without  any 
of  their  officers.  No  troops  could  have  behaved 
better  that  the  colored  soldiers  had  behaved  so 
far ;  but  they  are,  of  course,  peculiarly  dependent 
upon  their  white  officers.  Occasionally  they  pro 
duce  non-commissioned  officers  who  can  take  the 
initiative  and  accept  responsibility  precisely  like 
the  best  class  of  whites ;  but  this  cannot  be  ex 
pected  normally,  nor  is  it  fair  to  expect  it.  With 
the  colored  troops  there  should  always  be  some  of 

143 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

their  own  officers ;  whereas,  with  the  white  regu 
lars,  as  with  my  own  Rough  Riders^  experience 
showed  that  the  non-commissioned  officers  could 
usually  carry  on  the  fight  by  themselves  if  they 
were  once  started,  no  matter  whether  their  officers 
were  killed  or  not. 

At  this  particular  time  it  was  trying  for  the 
men,  as  they  were  lying  flat  on  their  faces,  very 
rarely  responding  to  the  bullets,  shells,  and  shrap 
nel  which  swept  over  the  hill-top,  and  which  oc 
casionally  killed  or  wounded  one  of  their  number. 
Major  Albert  G.  Forse,  of  the  First  Cavalry,  a 
noted  Indian  fighter,  was  killed  about  this  time. 
One  of  my  best  men,  Sergeant  Greenly,  of  Ari 
zona,  who  was  lying  beside  me,  suddenly  said, 
"  Beg  pardon,  Colonel ;  but  I've  been  hit  in  the 
leg."  I  asked,  "  Badly?  "  He  said,  "  Yes,  Col 
onel  ;  quite  badly."  After  one  of  his  comrades 
had  helped  him  fix  up  his  leg  with  a  first-aid-to- 
the-injured  bandage,  he  limped  off  to  the  rear. 

None  of  the  white  regulars  or  Rough  Riders 
showed  the  slightest  sign  of  weakening;  but  under 
the  strain  the  colored  infantrymen  (who  had  none 
of  their  officers)  began  to  get  a  little  uneasy  and 
to  drift  to  the  rear,  either  helping  wounded  men, 
or  saying  that  they  wished  to  find  their  own  regi 
ments.  This  I  could  not  allow,  as  it  was  deplet 
ing  my  line,  so  I  jumped  up,  and  walking  a  few 

144 


THE   CAVALRY   AT    SANTIAGO 

yards  to  the  rear,  drew  my  revolver,  halted  the 
retreating  soldiers,  and  called  out  to  them  that  I 
appreciated  the  gallantry  with  which  they  had 
fought  and  would  be  sorry  to  hurt  them,  but  that 
I  should  shoot  the  first  man  who,  on  any  pretence 
whatever,  went  to  the  rear.  My  own  men  had  all 
sat  up  and  were  watching  my  movements  with 
the  utmost  interest;  so  was  Captain  Howze.  1 
ended  my  statement  to  the  colored  soldiers  by 
saying :  "  Now,  I  shall  be  very  sorry  to  hurt  you, 
and  you  don't  know  whether  or  not  I  will  keep 
my  word,  but  my  men  can  tell  you  that  I  always 
do ; "  whereupon  my  cow-punchers,  hunters,  and 
miners  solemnly  nodded  their  heads  and  com 
mented  in  chorus,  exactly  as  if  in  a  comic  opera, 
"  He  always  does ;  he  always  does !  " 

This  was  the  end  of  the  trouble,  for  the  "  smoked 
Yankees  " — as  the  Spaniards  called  the  colored  sol 
diers — flashed  their  white  teeth  at  one  another,  as 
they  broke  into  broad  grins,  and  I  had  no  more 
trouble  with  them,  they  seeming  to  accept  me  as 
one  of  their  own  officers.  The  colored  cavalry 
men  had  already  so  accepted  me ;  in  return,  the 
Rough  Riders,  although  for  the  most  part  South- 
westerners,  who  have  a  strong  color  prejudice, 
grew  to  accept  them  with  hearty  good-will  as 
comrades,  and  were  entirely  willing,  in  their  own 
phrase,  "to  drink  out  of  the  same  canteen." 

145 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

Where  all  the  regular  officers  did  so  well,  it  is 
hard  to  draw  any  distinction ;  but  in  the  cavalry 
division  a  peculiar  meed  of  praise  should  be  given 
to  the  officers  of  the  Ninth  and  Tenth  for  their 
work,  and  under  their  leadership  the  colored  troops 
did  as  well  as  any  soldiers  could  possibly  do. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  the  Spaniards  in 
our  front  made  the  only  offensive  movement  which 
I  saw  them  make  during  the  entire  campaign; 
for  what  were  ordinarily  called  "attacks"  upon 
our  lines  consisted  merely  of  heavy  firing  from 
their  trenches  and  from  their  skirmishers.  In  this 
case  they  did  actually  begin  to  make  a  forward 
movement,  their  cavalry  coming  up  as  well  as  the 
marines  and  reserve  infantry,*  while  their  skir 
mishers,  who  were  always  bold,  ^redoubled  their 
activity.  It  could  not  be  called  a  charge,  and  not 
only  was  it  not  pushed  home,  but  it  was  stopped 
almost  as  soon  as  it  began,  our  men  immediately 
running  forward  to  the  crest  of  the  hill  with  shouts 
of  delight  at  seeing  their  enemies  at  last  came  into 
the  open.  A  few  seconds'  firing  stopped  their 
advance  and  drove  them  into  the  cover  of  the 
trenches. 

They  kept  up  a  very  heavy  fire  for  some  time 
longer,  and  our  men  again  lay  down,  only  replying 

*  Lieutenant  Tejeiro,  p.  154,  speaks  of  this  attempt  to  retake  San 
Juan  and  its  failure. 

146 


THE   CAVALRY    AT   SANTIAGO 

occasionally.  Suddenly  we  heard  on  our  right 
the  peculiar  drumming  sound  which  had  been  so 
welcome  in  the  morning,  when  the  infantry  were 
assailing  the  San  Juan  block-house.  The  Gatlings 
were  up  again !  I  started  over  to  inquire,  and 
Ibund  that  Lieutenant  Parker,  not  content  with 
using  his  guns  in  support  of  the  attacking  forces, 
had  thrust  them  forward  to  the  extreme  front  of 
the  fighting  line,  where  he  was  handling  them 
with  great  effect.  From  this  time  on,  throughout 
the  fighting,  Parker's  Gatlings  were  on  the  right 
of  my  regiment,  and  his  men  and  mine  fraternized 
in  every  way.  He  kept  his  pieces  at  the  extreme 
front,  using  them  on  every  occasion  until  the  last 
Spanish  shot  was  fired.  Indeed,  the  dash  and  ef 
ficiency  with  which  the  Gatlings  were  handled  by 
Parker  was  one  of  the  most  striking  features  of 
the  campaign ;  he  showed  that  a  first-rate  officer 
could  use  machine-guns,  on  wheels,  in  battle  and 
skirmish,  in  attacking  and  defending  trenches, 
alongside  of  the  best  troops,  and  to  their  great 
advantage. 

As  night  came  on,  the  firing  gradually  died 
away.  Before  this  happened,  however,  Captains 
Morton  and  Boughton,  of  the  Third  Cavalry, 
came  over  to  tell  me  that  a  rumor  had  reached 
them  to  the  effect  that  there  had  been  some  talk 
of  retiring  and  that  they  wished  to  protest  in  the 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

strongest  manner.  I  had  been  watching  them 
both,  as  they  handled  their  troops  with  the  cool 
confidence  of  the  veteran  regular  officer,  and  had 
been  congratulating  myself  that  they  were  off 
toward  the  right  flank,  for  as  long  as  they  were 
there,  I  knew  I  was  perfectly  safe  in  that  direc 
tion.  I  had  heard  no  rumor  about  retiring,  and 
I  cordially  agreed  with  them  that  it  would  be  far 
worse  than  a  blunder  to  abandon  our  position. 

To  attack  the  Spaniards  by  rushing  across  open 
ground,  or  through  wire  entanglements  and  low, 
almost  impassable  jungle,  without  the  help  of 
artillery,  and  to  force  unbroken  infantry,  fighting 
behind  earthworks  and  armed  with  the  best  re 
peating  weapons,  supported  by  cannon,  was  one 
thing;  to  repel  such  an  attack  ourselves,  or  to 
fight  our  foes  on  anything  like  even  terms  in  the 
open,  was  quite  another  thing.  No  possible  num 
ber  of  Spaniards  coming  at  us  from  in  front  could 
have  driven  us  from  our  position,  and  there  was 
not  a  man  on  the  crest  who  did  not  eagerly  and 
devoutly  hope  that  our  opponents  would  make 
the  attempt,  for  it  would  surely  have  been  followed, 
not  merely  by  a  repulse,  but  by  our  immediately 
taking  the  city.  There  was  not  an  officer  or  a 
man  on  the  firing-line,  so  far  as  I  saw  them,  who 
did  not  feel  this  way. 

As  night  fell,  some  of  my  men  went  back  to 
148 


THE   CAVALRY    AT    SANTIAGO 

the  buildings  in  our  rear  and  foraged  through 
them,  for  we  had  now  been  fourteen  hours  charg 
ing  and  fighting  without  food.  They  came  across 
what  was  evidently  the  Spanish  officers'  mess, 
where  their  dinner  was  still  cooking,  and  they 
brought  it  to  the  front  in  high  glee.  It  was  evi 
dent  that  the  Spanish  officers  were  living  well, 
however  the  Spanish  rank  and  file  were  faring. 
There  were  three  big  iron  pots,  one  filled  with 
beef-stew,  one  with  boiled  rice,  and  one  with  boiled 
peas ;  there  was  a  big  demijohn  of  rum  (all  along 
the  trenches  which  the  Spaniards  held  were  empty 
wine  and  liquor  bottles)  ;  there  were  a  number  of 
loaves  of  rice-bread ;  and  there  were  even  some 
small  cans  of  preserves  and  a  few  salt  fish.  Of 
course,  among  so  many  men,  the  food,  which  was 
equally  divided,  did  not  give  very  much  to  each, 
but  it  freshened  us  all. 

Soon  after  dark,  General  Wheeler,  who  in  the 
afternoon  had  resumed  command  of  the  cavalry 
division,  came  to  the  front.  A  very  few  words 
with  General  Wheeler  reassured  us  about  retiring, 
He  had  been  through  too  much  heavy  fighting  in 
the  Civil  War  to  regard  the  present  fight  as  very 
serious,  and  he  told  us  not  to  be  under  any  ap 
prehension,  for  he  had  sent  word  that  there  was 
no  need  whatever  of  retiring,  and  was  sure  we 
would  stay  where  we  were  until  the  chance  came 

149 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

to  advance.  He  was  second  in  command ;  and 
to  him  more  than  to  any  other  one  man  was  due 
the  prompt  abandonment  of  the  proposal  to  fall 
back — a  proposal  which,  if  adopted,  would  have 
meant  shame  and  disaster. 

Shortly  afterward  General  Wheeler  sent  us  or 
ders  to  intrench.  The  men  of  the  different  regi 
ments  were  now  getting  in  place  again  and  sifting 
themselves  out.  All  of  our  troops  who  had  been 
kept  at  Kettle  Hill  came  forward  and  rejoined 
us  after  nightfall.  During  the  afternoon  Green- 
way,  apparently  not  having  enough  to  do  in  the 
fighting,  had  taken  advantage  of  a  lull  to  explore 
the  buildings  himself,  and  had  found  a  number  of 
Spanish  intrenching  tools,  picks,  and  shovels,  and 
these  we  used  in  digging  trenches  along  our  line. 
The  men  were  very  tired  indeed,  but  they  went 
cheerfully  to  work,  all  the  officers  doing  their  part. 

Crockett,  the  ex-Revenue  officer  from  Georgia, 
was  a  slight  man,  not  physically  very  strong.  He 
came  to  me  and  told  me  he  didn't  think  he  would 
be  much  use  in  digging,  but  that  he  had  found  a 
lot  of  Spanish  coffee  and  would  spend  his  time 
making  coffee  for  the  men,  if  I  approved.  I  did 
approve  very  heartily,  and  Crockett  officiated  as 
cook  for  the  next  three  or  four  hours  until  the 
trench  was  dug,  his  coffee  being  much  appreci 
ated  by  all  of  us. 

150 


THE   CAVALRY   AT    SANTIAGO 

So  many  acts  of  gallantry  were  performed  dur 
ing  the  day  that  it  is  quite  impossible  to  notice 
them  all,  and  it  seems  unjust  to  single  out  any; 
yet  I  shall  mention  a  few,  which  it  must  always 
be  remembered  are  to  stand,  not  as  exceptions, 
but  as  instances  of  what  very  many  men  did.  It 
happened  that  I  saw  these  myself.  There  were 
innumerable  others,  which  either  were  not  seen  at 
all,  or  were  seen  only  by  officers  who  happened 
not  to  mention  them ;  and,  of  course,  I  know 
chiefly  those  that  happened  in  my  own  regiment. 

Captain  Llewellen  was  a  large,  heavy  man,  who 
had  a  grown-up  son  in  the  ranks.  On  the  march 
he  had  frequently  carried  the  load  of  some  man 
who  weakened,  and  he  was  not  feeling  well  on 
the  morning  of  the  fight.  Nevertheless,  he  kept 
at  the  head  of  his  troop  all  day.  In  the  charging 
and  rushing,  he  not  only  became  very  much  ex 
hausted,  but  finally  fell,  wrenching  himself  terribly, 
and  though  he  remained  with  us  all  night,  he  was 
so  sick  by  morning  that  we  had  to  take  him  be 
hind  the  hill  into  an  improvised  hospital.  Lieu 
tenant  Day,  after  handling  his  troop  with  equal 
gallantry  and  efficiency,  was  shot,  on  the  summit 
of  Kettle  Hill.  He  was  hit  in  the  arm  and  was 
forced  to  go  to  the  rear,  but  he  would  not  return 
to  the  States,  and  rejoined  us  at  the  front  long 
before  his  wound  was  healed.  Lieutenant  Leahy 

151 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

was  also  wounded,  not  far  from  him.  Thirteen 
of  the  men  were  wounded  and  yet  kept  on  fight 
ing  until  the  end  of  the  day,  and  in  some  cases 
never  went  to  the  rear  at  all,  even  to  have  their 
wounds  dressed.  They  were  Corporals  Waller 
and  Fortescue  and  Trooper  McKinley  of  Troop 
E ;  Corporal  Roades  of  Troop  D ;  Troopers  Al- 
bertson,  Winter,  McGregor,  and  Ray  Clark  of 
Troop  F ;  Troopers  Bugbee,  Jackson,  and  Waller 
of  Troop  A ;  Trumpeter  McDonald  of  Troop  L ; 
Sergeant  Hughes  of  Troop  B ;  and  Trooper  Giev- 
ers  of  Troop  G.  One  of  the  Wallers  was  a  cow- 
puncher  from  New  Mexico,  the  other  the  cham 
pion  Yale  high-jumper.  The  first  was  shot  through 
the  left  arm  so  as  to  paralyze  the  fingers,  but  he 
continued  in  battle,  pointing  his  rifle  over  the 
wounded  arm  as  though  it  had  been  a  rest.  The 
other  Waller,  and  Bugbee,  were  hit  in  the  head, 
*  the  bullets  merely  inflicting  scalp  wounds.  Neither 
of  them  paid  any  heed  to  the  wounds  except  that 
after  nightfall  each  had  his  head  done  up  in  a 
bandage.  Fortescue  I  was  at  times  using  as  an 
extra  orderly.  I  noticed  he  limped,  but  supposed 
that  his  foot  was  skinned.  It  proved,  however, 
that  he  had  been  struck  in  the  foot,  though  not 
very  seriously,  by  a  bullet,  and  I  never  knew 
what  was  the  matter  until  the  next  day  I  saw  him 
making  wry  faces  as  he  drew  off  his  bloody  boot, 

152 


THE   CAVALRY   AT    SANTIAGO 

which  was  stuck  fast  to  the  foot.  Trooper  Row 
land  again  distinguished  himself  by  his  fearless 
ness. 

For  gallantry  on  the  field  of  action  Sergeants 
Dame,  Ferguson,  Tiffany,  Greenwald,  and,  later 
on,  Mcllhenny,  were  promoted  to  second  lieuten 
ancies,  as  Sergeant  Hayes  had  already  been.  Lieu 
tenant  Carr,  who  commanded  his  troop,  and  be 
haved  with  great  gallantry  throughout  the  day, 
was  shot  and  severely  wounded  at  nightfall.  He 
was  the  son  of  a  Confederate  officer ;  his  was  the 
fifth  generation  which,  from  father  to  son,  had 
fought  in  every  war  of  the  United  States.  Among 
the  men  whom  I  noticed  as  leading  in  the  charges 
and  always  being  nearest  the  enemy,  were  the 
Pawnee,  Pollock,  Simpson  of  Texas,  and  Dudley 
Dean.  Jenkins  was  made  major,  Woodbury  Kane, 
Day,  and  Frantz  captains,  and  Greenway  and 
Goodrich  first  lieutenants,  for  gallantry  in  action, 
and  for  the  efficiency  with  which  the  first  had 
handled  his  squadron,  and  the  other  five  their 
troops — for  each  of  them,  owing  to  some  accident 
to  his  superior,  found  himself  in  command  of  his 
troop. 

Dr.  Church  had  worked  quite  as  hard  as  any 
man  at  the  front  in  caring  for  the  wounded ;  as 
had  Chaplain  Brown.  Lieutenant  Keyes,  who 
acted  as  adjutant,  did  so  well  that  he  was  given 

153 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

the  position   permanently.     Lieutenant  Coleman 
similarly  won  the  position  of  quartermaster. 

We  finished  digging  the  trench  soon  after  mid 
night,  and  then  the  worn-out  men  laid  down  in 
rows  on  their  rifles  and  dropped  heavily  to  sleep. 
About  one  in  ten  of  them  had  blankets  taken  from 
the  Spaniards.  Henry  Bardshar,  my  orderly,  had 
procured  one  for  me.  He,  Goodrich,  and  I  slept 
together.  If  the  men  without  blankets  had  not 
been  so  tired  that  they  fell  asleep  anyhow,  they 
would  have  been  very  cold,  for,  of  course,  we  were 
all  drenched  with  sweat,  and  above  the  waist  had 
on  nothing  but  our  flannel  shirts,  while  the  night 
was  cool,  with  a  heavy  dew.  Before  anyone  had 
time  to  wake  from  the  cold,  however,  we  were  all 
awakened  by  the  Spaniards,  whose  skirmishers 
suddenly  opened  fire  on  us.  Of  course,  we  could 
not  tell  whether  or  not  this  was  the  forerunner  of 
a  heavy  attack,  for  our  Cossack  posts  were  re 
sponding  briskly.  It  was  about  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  at  which  time  men's  courage  is  said 
to  be  at  the  lowest  ebb ;  but  the  cavalry  division 
was  certainly  free  from  any  weakness  in  that  di 
rection.  At  the  alarm  everybody  jumped  to  his 
feet  and  the  stiff,  shivering,  haggard  men,  their 
eyes  only  half-opened,  all  clutched  their  rifles  and 
ran  forward  to  the  trench  on  the  crest  of  the  hill. 

The  sputtering  shots  died  away  and  we  went 
154 


«          C/) 


•••--  i  -': 


THE   CAVALRY    AT   SANTIAGO 

to  sleep  again.  But  in  another  hour  dawn  broke 
and  the  Spaniards  opened  fire  in  good  earnest. 
There  was  a  little  tree  only  a  few  feet  away, 
under  which  I  made  my  head-quarters,  and  while 
I  was  lying  there,  with  Goodrich  and  Keyes,  a 
shrapnel  burst  among  us,  not  hurting  us  in  the 
least,  but  with  the  sweep  of  its  bullets  killing  or 
wounding  five  men  in  our  rear,  one  of  whom  was 
a  singularly  gallant  young  Harvard  fellow,  Stan 
ley  Hollister.  An  equally  gallant  young  fellow 
from  Yale,  Theodore  Miller,  had  already  been 
mortally  wounded.  Hollister  also  died. 

The  Second  Brigade  lost  more  heavily  than 
the  First ;  but  neither  its  brigade  commander  nor 
any  of  its  regimental  commanders  were  touched, 
while  the  commander  of  the  First  Brigade  and 
two  of  its  three  regimental  commanders  had  been 
killed  or  wounded. 

In  this  fight  our  regiment  had  numbered  490 
men,  as,  in  addition  to  the  killed  and  wounded 
of  the  first  fight,  some  had  had  to  go  to  the  hos 
pital  for  sickness  and  some  had  been  left  behind 
with  the  baggage,  or  were  detailed  on  other 
duty.  Eighty-nine  were  killed  and  wounded : 
the  heaviest  loss  suffered  by  any  regiment  in  the 
cavalry  division.  The  Spaniards  made  a  stiff 
fight,  standing  firm  until  we  charged  home.  They 
fought  much  more  stubbornly  than  at  Las  Guasi- 

155 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

mas.  We  ought  to  have  expected  this,  for  they 
have  always  done  well  in  holding  intrenchments. 
On  this  day  they  showed  themselves  to  be  brave 
foes,  worthy  of  honor  for  their  gallantry. 

In  the  attack  on  the  San  Juan  hills  our  forces 
numbered  about  6,600.*  There  were  about  4,500 
Spaniards  against  us.f  Our  total  loss  in  killed 

*  According  to  the  official  reports,  5, 104  officers  and  men  of  Kent's 
infantry,  and  2,649  of  the  cavalry  had  been  landed.  My  regiment  is 
put  down  as  542  strong,  instead  of  the  real  figure,  490,  the  difference 
being  due  to  men  who  were  in  hospital  and  on  guard  at  the  sea 
shore,  etc.  In  other  words,  the  total  represents  the  total  landed ; 
the  details,  etc.,  are  included.  General  Wheeler,  in  his  report  of 
July  7th,  puts  these  details  as  about  fifteen  per  cent,  of  the  whole  of 
the  force  which  was  on  the  transports ;  about  eighty-five  per  cent, 
got  forward  and  was  in  the  fight. 

t  The  total  Spanish  force  in  Santiago  under  General  Linares  was 
6,000:  4,000  regulars,  1,000  volunteers,  and  1,000  marines  and 
sailors  from  the  ships.  (Diary  of  the  British  Consul,  Frederick  W. 
Ramsden,  entry  of  July  1st.)  Four  thousand  more  troops  entered 
next  day.  Of  the  6,000  troops,  600  or  thereabouts  were  at  El  Caney, 
and  900  in  the  forts  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbor.  Lieutenant  Tejeiro 
states  that  there  were  520  men  at  El  Caney,  970  in  the  forts  at  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor,  and  3,000  in  the  lines,  not  counting  the  cavalry 
and  civil  guard  which  were  in  reserve.  He  certainly  very  much 
understates  the  Spanish  force ;  thus  he  nowhere  accounts  for  the  en 
gineers  mentioned  on  p.  135  ;  and  his  figures  would  make  the  total 
number  of  Spanish  artillerymen  but  32.  He  excludes  the  cavalry, 
the  civil  guard,  and  the  marines  which  had  been  stationed  at  the 
Plaza  del  Toros ;  yet  he  later  mentions  that  these  marines  were 
brought  up,  and  their  commander,  Bustamente,  severely  wounded  ; 
he  states  that  the  cavalry  advanced  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  infan 
try,  and  I  myself  saw  the  cavalry  come  forward,  for  the  most  part 
dismounted,  when  the  Spaniards  attempted  a  forward  movement  late 
in  the  afternoon,  and  we  shot  many  of  their  horses  ;  while  later  I 

156 


THE   CAVALRY    AT   SANTIAGO 

and  wounded  was  1,071.  Of  the  cavalry  divis 
ion  there  were,  all  told,  some  2,300  officers  and 
men,  of  whom  375  were  killed  and  wounded.  In 
the  division  over  a  fourth  of  the  officers  were 

saw  and  conversed  with  officers  and  men  of  the  civil  guard  who  had 
been  wounded  at  the  same  time — this  in  connection  with  returning 
them  their  wives  and  children,  after  the  latter  had  fled  from  the  city. 
Although  the  engineers  are  excluded,  Lieutenant  Tejeiro  mentions  that 
their  colonel,  as  well  as  the  colonel  of  the  artillery,  was  wounded.  Four 
thousand  five  hundred  is  surely  an  understatement  of  the  forces  which 
resisted  the  attack  of  the  forces  under  Wheeler.  Lieutenant  Tejeiro 
is  very  careless  in  his  figures.  Thus  in  one  place  he  states  that  the 
position  of  San  Juan  was  held  by  two  companies  comprising  250 
soldiers.  Later  he  says  it  was  held  by  three  companies,  whose 
strength  he  puts  at  300 — thus  making  them  average  100  instead  of 
125  men  apiece.  He  then  mentions  another  echelon  of  two  com 
panies,  so  situated  as  to  cross  their  fire  with  the  others.  Doubtless 
the  block-house  and  trenches  at  Fort  San  Juan  proper  were  only  held 
by  three  or  four  hundred  men ;  they  were  taken  by  the  Sixth  and 
Sixteenth  Infantry  under  Hawkins's  immediate  command  ;  and  they 
formed  but  one  point  in  the  line  of  hills,  trenches,  ranch-houses,  and 
block-houses  which  the  Spaniards  held,  and  from  which  we  drove 
them.  When  the  city  capitulated  later,  over  8,000  unwounded  troops 
and  over  16,000  rifles  and  carbines  were  surrendered ;  by  that  time 
the  marines  and  sailors  had  of  course  gone,  and  the  volunteers  had 
disbanded. 

In  all  these  figures  I  have  taken  merely  the  statements  from  the 
Spanish  side.  I  am  inclined  to  think  the  actual  numbers  were  much 
greater  than  those  here  given.  Lieutenant  Wiley,  in  his  book  In 
Cuba  with  Shafter,  which  is  practically  an  official  statement,  states 
that  nearly  11,000  Spanish  troops  were  surrendered;  and  this  is  the 
number  given  by  the  Spaniards  themselves  in  the  remarkable  letter 
the  captured  soldiers  addressed  to  General  Shafter,  which  Wiley 
quotes  in  full.  Lieutenant  Tejeiro,  in  his  chap,  xiv.,  explains  that 
the  volunteers  liad  disbanded  before  the  end  came,  and  the  ma 
rines  and  sailors  had  of  course  gone,  while  nearly  a  thousand  men 

157 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

killed  or  wounded,  their  loss  being  relatively  half 
as  great  again  as  that  of  the  enlisted  men — which 
was  as  it  should  be. 

I  think  we  suffered  more  heavily  than  the 
Spaniards  did  in  killed  and  wounded  (though  we 
also  captured  some  scores  of  prisoners).  It  would 
have  been  very  extraordinary  if  the  reverse  was 
the  case,  for  we  did  the  charging;  and  to  carry 


had  been  killed  or  captured  or  had  died  of  wounds  and  disease,  so 
that  there  must  have  been  at  least  14,000  all  told.  Subtracting  the 
reinforcements  who  arrived  on  the  2d,  this  would  mean  about  10,000 
Spaniards  present  on  the  1st;  in  which  case  Kent  and  Wheeler  were 
opposed  by  at  least  equal  numbers. 

In  dealing  with  the  Spanish  losses,  Lieutenant  Tejeiro  contradicts 
himself.  He  puts  their  total  loss  on  this  day  at  593,  including  94 
killed,  121  missing,  and  2  prisoners — 217  in  all.  Yet  he  states  that 
of  the  520  men  at  Caney  but  80  got  back,  the  remaining  440  being 
killed,  captured,  or  missing.  When  we  captured  the  city  we  found 
in  the  hospitals  over  2,000  seriously  wounded  and  sick  Spaniards  ; 
on  making  inquiries,  I  found  that  over  a  third  were  wounded.  From 
these  facts  I  feel  that  it  is  safe  to  put  down  the  total  Spanish  loss 
in  battle  as  at  least  1,200,  of  whom  over  a  thousand  were  killed  and 
wounded. 

Lieutenant  Tejeiro,  while  rightly  claiming  credit  for  the  courage 
shown  by  the  Spaniards,  also  praises  the  courage  and  resolution  of 
the  Americans,  saying  that  they  fought,  "con  un  arrojo  y  una  deci 
sion  verdaderamente  admirables. "  He  dwells  repeatedly  upon  the 
determination  with  which  our  troops  kept  charging  though  themselves 
unprotected  by  cover.  As  for  the  Spanish  troops,  all  who  fought  them 
that  day  will  most  freely  admit  the  courage  they  showed.  At  El 
Caney,  where  they  were  nearly  hemmed  in,  they  made  a  most  des 
perate  defence ;  at  San  Juan  the  way  to  retreat  was  open,  and  so, 
though  they  were  seven  times  as  numerous,  they  fought  with  less 
desperation,  but  still  very  gallantly. 

I58 


THE   CAVALRY   AT   SANTIAGO 

earthworks  on  foot  with  dismounted  cavalry, 
when  these  earthworks  are  held  by  unbroken  in 
fantry  armed  with  the  best  modern  rifles,  is  a 
serious  task. 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

WHEN  the  shrapnel  burst  among  us  on  the 
hill-side  we  made  up  our  minds  that  we  had 
better  settle  down  to  solid  siege  work.  All  of  the 
men  who  were  not  in  the  trenches  I  took  off  to  the 
right,  back  of  the  Gatling  guns,  where  there  was 
a  valley,  and  dispersed  them  by  troops  in  shel 
tered  parts.  It  took  us  an  hour  or  two's  experi 
menting  to  find  out  exactly  what  spots  were  free 
from  danger,  because  some  of  the  Spanish  sharp 
shooters  were  in  trees  in  our  front,  where  we  could 
not  possibly  place  them  from  the  trenches;  and 
these  were  able  to  reach  little  hollows  and  depres 
sions  where  the  men  were  entirely  safe  from  the 
Spanish  artillery  and  from  their  trench-fire.  More 
over,  in  one  hollow,  whicn  we  thought  safe,  the 
Spaniards  succeeded  in  dropping  a  shell,  a  frag 
ment  of  which  went  through  the  head  of  one  of 
my  men,  who,  astonishing  to  say,  lived,  although 
unconscious,  for  two  hours  afterward.  Finally,  I 
got  all  eight  troops  settled,  and  the  men  prompt- 

160 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

ly  proceeded  to  make  themselves  as  much  at 
home  as  possible.  For  the  next  twenty-four 
hours,  however,  the  amount  of  comfort  was  small, 
as  in  the  way  of  protection  and  covering  we  only 
had  what  blankets,  rain-coats,  and  hammocks  we 
took  from  the  dead  Spaniards.  Ammunition 
which  was,  of  course,  the  most  vital  need,  was 
brought  up  in  abundance;  but  very  little  food 
reached  us.  That  afternoon  we  had  just  enough 
to  allow  each  man  for  his  supper  two  hardtacks, 
and  one  hardtack  extra  for  every  four  men. 

During  the  first  night  we  had  dug  trenches  suf 
ficient  in  length  and  depth  to  shelter  our  men  and 
insure  safety  against  attack,  but  we  had  not  put  in 
any  traverses  or  approaches,  nor  had  we  arranged 
the  trenches  at  all  points  in  the  best  places  for  of 
fensive  work ;  for  we  were  working  at  night 
on  ground  which  we  had  but  partially  explored. 
Later  on  an  engineer  officer  stated  that  he  did  not 
think  our  work  had  been  scientific ;  and  I  assured 
him  that  I  did  not  doubt  that  he  was  right,  for  I 
had  never  before  seen  a  trench,  excepting  those  we 
captured  from  the  Spaniards,  or  heard  of  a  trav 
erse,  save  as  I  vaguely  remembered  reading  about 
them  in  books.  For  such  work  as  we  were  en 
gaged  in,  however,  the  problem  of  intrenchment 
was  comparatively  simple,  and  the  work  we  did 
proved  entirely  adequate.  No  man  in  my  regi- 

161 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

ment  was  ever  hit  in  the  trenches  or  going  in  or 
out  of  them. 

But  on  the  first  day  there  was  plenty  of  excite 
ment  connected  with  relieving  the  firing  line. 
Under  the  intense  heat,  crowded  down  in  cramped 
attitudes  in  the  rank,  newly  dug,  poisonous  soil 
of  the  trenches,  the  men  needed  to  be  relieved 
every  six  hours  or  so.  Accordingly,  in  the  late 
morning,  and  again  in  the  afternoon,  I  arranged 
for  their  release.  On  each  occasion  I  waited  until 
there  was  a  lull  in  the  firing  and  then  started  a 
sudden  rush  by  the  relieving  party,  who  tumbled 
into  the  trenches  every  which  way.  The  move 
ment  resulted  on  each  occasion  in  a  terrific  out 
burst  of  fire  from  the  Spanish  lines,  which  proved 
quite  harmless ;  and  as  it  gradually  died  away  the 
men  who  had  been  relieved  got  out  as  best  they 
could.  Fortunately,  by  the  next  day  I  was  able  to 
abandon  this  primitive,  though  thrilling  and  wholly 
novel,  military  method  of  relief. 

When  the  hardtack  came  up  that  afternoon  1 
felt  much  sympathy  for  the  hungry  unfortunates 
in  the  trenches  and  hated  to  condemn  them  to 
six  hours  more  without  food ;  but  I  did  not  know 
how  to  get  food  into  them.  Little  McGinty,  the 
bronco  buster,  volunteered  to  make  the  attempt, 
and  I  gave  him  permission.  He  simply  took  a 
case  of  hardtack  in  his  arms  and  darted  toward 

162 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

the  trenches.  The  distance  was  but  short,  and 
though  there  was  an  outburst  of  fire,  he  was 
actually  missed.  One  bullet,  however,  passed 
through  the  case  of  hardtack  just  before  he  dis 
appeared  with  it  into  the  trench.  A  trooper 
named  Shanafelt  repeated  the  feat,  later,  with  a 
pail  of  coffee.  Another  trooper,  George  King, 
spent  a  leisure  hour  in  the  rear  making  soup 
out  of  some  rice  and  other  stuff  he  found  in  a 
Spanish  house  ;  he  brought  some  of  it  to  General 
Wood,  Jack  Greenway,  and  myself,  and  nothing 
could  have  tasted  more  delicious. 

At  this  time  our  army  in  the  trenches  num 
bered  about  11,000  men;  and  the  Spaniards  in 
Santiago  about  9,000,*  their  reinforcements  hav 
ing  just  arrived.  Nobody  on  the  firing  line, 
whatever  was  the  case  in  the  rear,  felt  the  slight 
est  uneasiness  as  to  the  Spaniards  being  able  to 
break  out;  but  there  were  plenty  who  doubted 
the  advisability  of  trying  to  rush  the  heavy  earth 
works  and  wire  defences  in  our  front. 

All  day  long  the  firing  continued — musketry 

*  This  is  probably  an  understatement.  Lieutenant  Mliller,  in  chap. 
xxxviii.  of  his  book,  says  that  there  were  "  eight  or  nine  thousand;  " 
this  is  exclusive  of  the  men  from  the  fleet,  and  apparently  also  of 
many  of  the  volunteers  (see  chap.  xiv. ),  all  of  whom  were  present  on 
July  2d.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  on  the  evening  of  that  day  there 
were  more  Spanish  troops  inside  Santiago  than  there  were  American 
troops  outside. 

I63 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

and  cannon.  Our  artillery  gave  up  the  attempt 
to  fight  on  the  firing  line,  and  was  withdrawn 
well  to  the  rear  out  of  range  of  the  Spanish  rifles ; 
so  far  as  we  could  see,  it  accomplished  very  little. 
The  dynamite  gun  was  brought  up  to  the  right 
of  the  regimental  line.  It  was  more  effective 
than  the  regular  artillery  because  it  was  fired 
with  smokeless  powder,  and  as  it  was  used  like  a 
mortar  from  behind  the  hill,  it  did  not  betray  its 
presence,  and  those  firing  it  suffered  no  loss. 
Every  few  shots  it  got  out  of  order,  and  the 
Rough  Rider  machinists  and  those  furnished  by 
Lieutenant  Parker — whom  we  by  this  time  began 
to  consider  as  an  exceedingly  valuable  member 
of  our  own  regiment — would  spend  an  hour  or 
two  in  setting  it  right.  Sergeant  Borrowe  had 
charge  of  it  and  handled  it  well.  With  him  was 
Sergeant  Guitilias,  a  gallant  old  fellow,  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  War,  whose  duties  were  properly 
those  of  standard-bearer,  he  having  charge  of 
the  yellow  cavalry  standard  of  the  regiment ;  but 
in  the  Cuban  campaign  he  was  given  the  more 
active  work  of  helping  run  the  dynamite  gun. 
The  shots  from  the  dynamite  gun  made  a  terrific 
explosion,  but  they  did  not  seem  to  go  accurately. 
Once  one  of  them  struck  a  Spanish  trench  and 
wrecked  part  of  it.  On  another  occasion  one 
struck  a  big  building,  from  which  there  promptly 

164 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

swarmed  both  Spanish  cavalry  and  infantry,  on 
whom  the  Colt  automatic  guns  played  with  good 
effect,  during  the  minute  that  elapsed  before  they 
could  get  other  cover. 

These  Colt  automatic  guns  were  not,  on  the 
whole,  very  successful.  The  gun  detail  was  un 
der  the  charge  of  Sergeant  (afterward  Lieutenant) 
Tiffany,  assisted  by  some  of  our  best  men,  like 
Stephens,  Crowninshield,  Bradley,  Smith,  and 
Herrig.  The  guns  were  mounted  on  tripods. 
They  were  too  heavy  for  men  to  carry  any  dis 
tance  and  we  could  not  always  get  mules.  They 
would  have  been  more  effective  if  mounted  on 
wheels,  as  the  Gatlings  were.  Moreover,  they 
proved  more  delicate  than  the  Gatlings,  and  very 
readily  got  out  of  order.  A  further  and  serious 
disadvantage  was  that  they  did  not  use  the  Krag 
ammunition,  as  the  Gatlings  did,  but  the  Mauser 
ammunitionc  The  Spanish  cartridges  which  we 
captured  came  in  quite  handily  for  this  reason. 
Parker  took  the  same  fatherly  interest  in  these  two 
Colts  that  he  did  in  the  dynamite  gun,  and  finally 
I  put  all  three  and  their  men  under  his  immediate 
care,  so  that  he  had  a  battery  of  seven  guns. 

In  fact,  I  think  Parker  deserved  rather  more 
credit  than  any  other  one  man  in  the  entire  cam 
paign.  I  do  not  allude  especially  to  his  courage 
and  energy,  great  though  they  were,  for  there  were 

165 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

hundreds  of  his  fellow-officers  of  the  cavalry  and 
infantry  who  possessed  as  much  of  the  former 
quality,  and  scores  who  possessed  as  much  of  the 
latter;  but  he  had  the  rare  good  judgment  and 
foresight  to  see  the  possibilities  of  the  machine- 
guns,  and,  thanks  to  the  aid  of  General  Shafter, 
he  was  able  to  organize  his  battery.  He  then,  by 
his  own  exertions,  got  it  to  the  front  and  proved 
that  it  could  do  invaluable  work  on  the  field  of 
battle,  as  much  in  attack  as  in  defence.  Parker's 
Gatlings  were  our  inseparable  companions  through 
out  the  siege.  After  our  trenches  were  put  in 
final  shape,  he  took  off  the  wheels  of  a  couple  and 
placed  them  with  our  own  two  Colts  in  the 
trenches.  His  gunners  slept  beside  the  Rough 
Riders  in  the  bomb-proofs,  and  the  men  shared 
with  one  another  when  either  side  got  a  supply  of 
beans  or  of  coffee  and  sugar ;  for  Parker  was  as 
wide-awake  and  energetic  in  getting  food  for  his 
men  as  we  prided  ourselves  upon  being  in  getting 
food  for  ours.  Besides,  he  got  oil,  and  let  our 
men  have  plenty  for  their  rifles.  At  no  hour  of 
the  day  or  night  was  Parker  anywhere  but  where 
we  wished  him  to  be  in  the  event  of  an  attack.  If 
I  was  ordered  to  send  a  troop  of  Rough  Riders  to 
guard  some  road  or  some  break  in  the  lines,  we 
usually  got  Parker  to  send  a  Gatling  along,  and 
whether  the  change  was  made  by  day  or  by  night, 

166 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

the  Gatling  went,  over  any  ground  and  in  any 
weather.  He  never  exposed  the  Catlings  need 
lessly  or  unless  there  was  some  object  to  be 
gained,  but  if  serious  fighting  broke  out,  he  always 
took  a  hand.  Sometimes  this  fighting  would  be 
the  result  of  an  effort  on  our  part  to  quell  the  fire 
from  the  Spanish  trenches ;  sometimes  the  Span 
iards  took  the  initiative ;  but  at  whatever  hour 
of  the  twenty-four  serious  fighting  began,  the 
drumming  of  the  Gatlings  was  soon  heard  through 
the  cracking  of  our  own  carbines. 

I  have  spoken  thus  of  Parker's  Gatling  detach 
ment.  How  can  I  speak  highly  enough  of  the 
regular  cavalry  with  whom  it  was  our  good  fort 
une  to  serve  *?  I  do  not  believe  that  in  any  army 
of  the  world  could  be  found  a  more  gallant  and 
soldierly  body  of  fighters  than  the  officers  and 
men  of  the  First.  Third,  Sixth,  Ninth,  and  Tenth 
United  States  Cavalry,  beside  whom  we  marched 
to  blood-bought  victory  under  the  tropic  skies 
of  Santiago.  The  American  regular  sets  the 
standard  of  excellence.  When  we  wish  to  give 
the  utmost  possible  praise  to  a  volunteer  organi 
zation,  we  say  that  it  is  as  good  as  the  regulars. 
I  was  exceedingly  proud  of  the  fact  that  the 
regulars  treated  my  regiment  as  on  a  complete 
equality  with  themselves,  and  were  as  ready  to 
see  it  in  a  post  of  danger  and  responsibility  as  to 

167 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

see  any  of  their  own  battalions.  Lieutenant  Col 
onel  Dorst,  a  man  from  whom  praise  meant  a 
good  deal,  christened  us  "the  Eleventh  United 
States  Horse,"  and  we  endeavored,  I  think  I  may 
say  successfully,  to  show  that  we  deserved  the 
title  by  our  conduct,  not  only  in  righting  and  in 
marching,  but  in  guarding  the  trenches  and  in 
policing  camp.  In  less  than  sixty  days  the  regi 
ment  had  been  raised,  organized,  armed,  equipped, 
drilled,  mounted,  dismounted,  kept  for  a  fortnight 
on  transports,  and  put  through  two  victorious 
aggressive  fights  in  very  difficult  country,  the  loss 
in  killed  and  wounded  amounting  to  a  quarter  of 
those  engaged.  This  is  a  record  which  it  is  not 
easy  to  match  in  the  history  of  volunteer  organi 
zations.  The  loss  was  but  small  compared  to 
that  which  befell  hundreds  of  regiments  in  some 
of  the  great  battles  of  the  later  years  of  the  Civil 
War ;  but  it  may  be  doubted  whether  there  was 
any  regiment  which  made  such  a  record  during 
the  first  months  of  any  of  our  wars. 

After  the  battle  of  San  Juan  my  men  had 
really  become  veterans;  they  and  I  understood 
each  other  perfectly,  and  trusted  each  other 
implicitly ;  they  knew  I  would  share  every  hard 
ship  and  danger  with  them,  would  do  everything 
in  my  power  to  see  that  they  were  fed,  and  so  tar 
as  might  be,  sheltered  and  spared ;  and  in  return 

168 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

I  knew  that  they  would  endure  every  kind  of 
hardship  and  fatigue  without  a  murmur  and  face 
every  danger  with  entire  fearlessness.  I  felt  utter 
confidence  in  them,  and  would  have  been  more 
than  willing  to  put  them  to  any  task  which  any 
crack  regiment  of  the  world,  at  home  or  abroad, 
could  perform.  They  were  natural  fighters,  men 
of  great  intelligence,  great  courage,  great  hardi 
hood,  and  physical  prowess ;  and  I  could  draw  on 
these  qualities  and  upon  their  spirit  of  ready, 
soldierly  obedience  to  make  up  for  any  deficien 
cies  in  the  technique  of  the  trade  which  they  had 
temporarily  adopted.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  they  were  already  good  individual  fighters, 
skilled  in  the  use  of  the  horse  and  the  rifle,  so 
that  there  was  no  need  of  putting  them  through 
the  kind  of  training  in  which  the  ordinary  raw 
recruit  must  spend  his  first  year  or  two. 

On  July  2d,  as  the  day  wore  on,  the  fight, 
though  raging  fitfully  at  intervals,  gradually  died 
away.  The  Spanish  guerillas  were  causing  us 
much  trouble.  They  showed  great  courage, 
exactly  as  did  their  soldiers  who  were  defending 
the  trenches.  In  fact,  the  Spaniards  throughout 
showed  precisely  the  qualities  they  did  early  in 
the  century,  when,  as  every  student  will  remem 
ber,  their  fleets  were  a  helpless  prey  to  the  Eng 
lish  war-ships,  and  their  armies  utterly  unable  to 

169 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

stand  in  the  open  against  those  of  Napoleon's 
marshals,  while  on  the  other  hand  their  guerillas 
performed  marvellous  feats,  and  their  defence  of 
intrenchments  and  walled  towns,  as  at  Saragossa 
and  Gerona,  were  the  wonder  of  the  civilized 
world. 

In  our  front  their  sharp-shooters  crept  up  before 
dawn  and  either  lay  in  the  thick  jungle  or  climbed 
into  some  tree  with  dense  foliage.  In  these  places 
it  proved  almost  impossible  to  place  them,  as  they 
kept  cover  very  carefully,  and  their  smokeless 
powder  betrayed  not  the  slightest  sign  of  their 
whereabouts.  They  caused  us  a  great  deal  of  an 
noyance  and  some  little  loss,  and  though  our  own 
sharp-shooters  were  continually  taking  shots  at  the 
places  where  they  supposed  them  to  be,  and  though 
occasionally  we  would  play  a  Gatling  or  a  Colt 
all  through  the  top  of  a  suspicious  tree,  I  but  twice 
saw  Spaniards  brought  down  out  of  their  perches 
from  in  front  of  our  lines — -on  each  occasion  the 
fall  of  the  Spaniard  being  hailed  with  loud  cheers 
by  our  men. 

These  sharp-shooters  in  our  front  did  perfectly 
legitimate  work,  and  were  entitled  to  all  credit  for 
their  courage  and  skill.  It  was  different  with  the 
guerillas  in  our  rear.  Quite  a  number  of  these 
had  been  posted  in  trees  at  the  time  of  the  San 
Juan  fight.  They  were  using,  not  Mausers,  but 

170 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

Remingtons,  which  shot  smokeless  powder  and  a 
brass-coated  bullet.  It  was  one  of  these  bullets 
which  had  hit  Winslow  Clark  by  my  side  on 
Kettle  Hill;  and  though  for  long-range  fighting 
the  Remingtons  were,  of  course,  nothing  like  as 
good  as  the  Mausers,  they  were  equally  service 
able  for  short-range  bush  work,  as  they  used 
smokeless  powder.  When  our  troops  advanced 
and  the  Spaniards  in  the  trenches  and  in  reserve 
behind  the  hill  fled,  the  guerillas  in  the  trees  had 
no  time  to  get  away  and  in  consequence  were  left 
in  the  rear  of  our  lines.  As  we  found  out  from 
the  prisoners  we  took,  the  Spanish  officers  had 
been  careful  to  instil  into  the  minds  of  their  sol 
diers  the  belief  that  the  Americans  never  granted 
quarter,  and  I  suppose  it  was  in  consequence  of 
this  that  the  guerillas  did  not  surrender ;  for  we 
found  that  the  Spaniards  were  anxious  enough  to 
surrender  as  soon  as  they  became  convinced  that 
we  would  treat  them  mercifully.  At  any  rate, 
these  guerillas  kept  up  in  their  trees  and  showed 
not  only  courage  but  wanton  cruelty  and  barbar 
ity.  At  times  they  fired  upon  armed  men  in 
bodies,  but  they  much  preferred  for  their  victims 
the  unarmed  attendants,  the  doctors,  the  chaplains, 
the  hospital  stewards.  They  fired  at  the  men  who 
were  bearing  off  the  wounded  in  litters ;  they  fired 
at  the  doctors  who  came  to  the  front,  and  at  the 

171 


THE   HOUGH    RIDERS 

chaplains  who  started  to  hold  burial  service ;  the 
conspicuous  Red  Cross  brassard  worn  by  all  of 
these  non-combatants,  instead  of  serving  as  a  pro 
tection,  seemed  to  make  them  the  special  objects 
of  the  guerilla  fire.  So  annoying  did  they  become 
that  I  sent  out  that  afternoon  and  next  morning 
a  detail  of  picked  sharp-shooters  to  hunt  them  out, 
choosing,  of  course,  first-class  woodsmen  and 
mountain  men  who  were  also  good  shots.  My 
sharp-shooters  felt  very  vindictively  toward  these 
guerillas  and  showed  them  no  quarter.  They 
started  systematically  to  hunt  them,  and  showed 
themselves  much  superior  at  the  guerillas'  own 
game,  killing  eleven,  while  not  one  of  my  men 
was  scratched.  Two  of  the  men  who  did  con 
spicuously  good  service  in  this  work  were  Troop 
ers  Goodwin  and  Proffit,  both  of  Arizona,  but 
one  by  birth  a  Californian  and  the  other  a 
North  Carolinian.  Goodwin  was  a  natural  shot, 
not  only  with  the  rifle  and  revolver,  but  with  the 
sling.  Proffit  might  have  stood  as  a  type  of  the 
mountaineers  described  by  John  Fox  and  Miss 
Murfree.  He  was  a  tall,  sinewy,  handsome  man 
of  remarkable  strength,  an  excellent  shot  and  a 
thoroughly  good  soldier.  His  father  had  been  a 
Confederate  officer,  rising  from  the  ranks,  and  if 
the  war  had  lasted  long  enough  the  son  would 
have  risen  in  the  same  manner.  As  it  was,  I 

172 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

should  have  been  glad  to  have  given  him  a  com 
mission,  exactly  as  I  should  have  been  glad  to 
have  given  a  number  of  others  in  the  regiment 
commissions,  if  I  had  only  had  them.  Proffit  was 
a  saturnine,  reserved  man,  who  afterward  fell  very 
sick  with  the  fever,  and  who,  as  a  reward  for  his 
soldierly  good  conduct,  was  often  granted  unusual 
privileges ;  but  he  took  the  fever  and  the  privi 
leges  with  the  same  iron  indifference,  never  grum 
bling,  and  never  expressing  satisfaction. 

The  sharp-shooters  returned  by  nightfall.  Soon 
afterward  I  established  my  pickets  and  outposts 
well  to  the  front  in  the  jungle,  so  as  to  prevent 
all  possibility  of  surprise.  After  dark,  fires  sud 
denly  shot  up  on  the  mountain  passes  far  to  our 
right.  They  all  rose  together  and  we  could 
make  nothing  of  them.  After  a  good  deal  of 
consultation,  we  decided  they  must  be  some 
signals  to  the  Spaniards  in  Santiago,  from  the 
troops  marching  to  reinforce  them  from  without 
— for  we  were  ignorant  that  the  reinforcements 
had  already  reached  the  city,  the  Cubans  being 
quite  unable  to  prevent  the  Spanish  regulars  from 
marching  wherever  they  wished.  While  we  were 
thus  pondering  over  the  watch-fires  and  attribut 
ing  them  to  Spanish  machinations  of  some  sort, 
it  appears  that  the  Spaniards,  equally  puzzled, 
were  setting  them  down  as  an  attempt  at  com- 

173 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

munication  between  the  insurgents  and  our  army. 
Both  sides  were  accordingly  on  the  alert,  and  the 
Spaniards  must  have  strengthened  their  outlying 
parties  in  the  jungle  ahead  of  us,  for  they  sud 
denly  attacked  one  of  our  pickets,  wounding 
Crockett  seriously.  He  was  brought  in  by  the 
other  troopers.  Evidently  the  Spanish  lines  felt 
a  little  nervous,  for  this  sputter  of  shooting  was 
immediately  followed  by  a  tremendous  fire  of 
great  guns  and  rifles  from  their  trenches  and  bat 
teries.  Our  men  in  the  trenches  responded 
heavily,  and  word  was  sent  back,  not  only  to  me, 
but  to  the  commanders  in  the  rear  of  the  regi 
ments  along  our  line,  that  the  Spaniards  were 
attacking.  It  was  imperative  to  see  what  wras 
really  going  on,  so  I  ran  up  to  the  trenches  and 
looked  out.  At  night  it  was  far  easier  to  place 
the  Spanish  lines  than  by  day,  because  the  flame- 
spurts  shone  in  the  darkness.  I  could  soon  tell 
that  there  were  bodies  of  Spanish  pickets  or 
skirmishers  in  the  jungle-covered  valley,  between 
their  lines  and  ours,  but  that  the  bulk  of  the  fire 
came  from  their  trenches  and  showed  not  the 
slightest  symptom  of  advancing ;  moreover,  as  is 
generally  the  case  at  night,  the  fire  was  almost  all 
high,  passing  well  overhead,  with  an  occasional 
bullet  near  by. 

I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was  no  use 
174 


IN    THE   TRENCHES 

in  our  firing  back  under  such  circumstances;  and 
I  could  tell  that  the  same  conclusion  had  been 
reached  by  Captain  Ayres  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry 
on  the  right  of  my  line,  for  even  above  the  crack 
ing  of  the  carbines  rose  the  Captain's  voice  as 
with  varied  and  picturesque  language  he  bade 
his  black  troopers  cease  firing.  The  Captain  was 
as  absolutely  fearless  as  a  man  can  be.  He  had 
command  of  his  regimental  trenches  that  night, 
and,  having  run  up  at  the  first  alarm,  had  speedily 
satisfied  himself  that  no  particular  purpose  was 
served  by  blazing  away  in  the  dark,  when  the 
enormous  majority  of  the  Spaniards  were  simply 
shooting  at  random  from  their  own  trenches,  and, 
if  they  ever  had  thought  of  advancing,  had  cer 
tainly  given  up  the  idea.  His  troopers  were 
devoted  to  him,  would  follow  him  anywhere,  and 
would  do  anything  he  said;  but  when  men  get 
firing  at  night  it  is  rather  difficult  to  stop  them, 
especially  when  the  fire  of  the  enemy  in  front 
continues  unabated.  When  he  first  reached  the 
trenches  it  was  impossible  to  say  whether  or  not 
there  was  an  actual  night  attack  impending,  and 
he  had  been  instructing  his  men,  as  I  instructed 
mine,  to  fire  low,  cutting  the  grass  in  front.  As 
soon  as  he  became  convinced  that  there  was  no 
night  attack,  he  ran  up  and  down  the  line  adjur 
ing  and  commanding  the  troopers  to  cease  shoot- 

175 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

ing,  with  words  and  phrases  which  were  doubtless 
not  wholly  unlike  those  which  the  Old  Guard 
really  did  use  at  Waterloo.  As  I  ran  down  my 
own  line,  I  could  see  him  coming  up  his,  and  he 
saved  me  all  trouble  in  stopping  the  fire  at  the 
right,  where  the  lines  met,  for  my  men  there  all 
dropped  everything  to  listen  to  him  and  cheer 
and  laugh.  Soon  we  got  the  troopers  in  hand, 
and  made  them  cease  firing;  then,  after  awhile, 
the  Spanish  fire  died  down.  At  the  time  we 
spoke  of  this  as  a  night  attack  by  the  Spaniards, 
but  it  really  was  not  an  attack  at  all.  Ever  after 
my  men  had  a  great  regard  for  Ayres,  and  would 
have  followed  him  anywhere.  I  shall  never  for 
get  the  way  in  which  he  scolded  his  huge,  de 
voted  black  troopers,  generally  ending  with  "  I'm 
ashamed  of  you,  ashamed  of  you !  I  wouldn't 
have  believed  it !  Firing ;  when  I  told  you  to 
stop  !  I'm  ashamed  of  you  ! " 

That  night  we  spent  in  perfecting  the  trenches 
and  arranging  entrances  to  them,  doing  about  as 
much  work  as  we  had  the  preceding  night. 
Greenway  and  Goodrich,  from  their  energy, 
eagerness  to  do  every  duty,  and  great  physical 
strength,  were  peculiarly  useful  in  this  work ;  as, 
indeed,  they  were  in  all  work.  They  had  been 
up  practically  the  entire  preceding  night,  but  they 
were  too  good  men  for  me  to  spare  them,  nor  did 

176 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

they  wish  to  be  spared;  and  I  kept  them  up  all 
this  night  too.  Goodrich  had  also  been  on  guard 
as  officer  of  the  day  the  night  we  were  at  El 
Poso,  so  that  it  turned  out  that  he  spent  nearly 
four  days  and  three  nights  with  practically  hardly 
any  sleep  at  all. 

Next  morning,  at  daybreak,  the  firing  began 
again.  This  day,  the  3d,  we  suffered  nothing, 
save  having  one  man  wounded  by  a  sharp-shoot 
er,  and,  thanks  to  the  approaches  to  the  trenches, 
we  were  able  to  relieve  the  guards  without  any 
difficulty.  The  Spanish  sharp-shooters  in  the 
trees  and  jungle  nearby,  however,  annoyed  us 
very  much,  and  I  made  preparations  to  fix  them 
next  day.  With  this  end  in  view  I  chose  out 
some  twenty  first-class  men,  in  many  instances 
the  same  that  I  had  sent  after  the  guerillas,  and 
arranged  that  each  should  take  his  canteen  and  a 
little  food.  They  were  to  slip  into  the  jungle  be 
tween  us  and  the  Spanish  lines  before  dawn  next 
morning,  and  there  to  spend  the  day,  getting  as 
close  to  the  Spanish  lines  as  possible,  moving 
about  with  great  stealth,  and  picking  off  any  hos 
tile  sharp-shooter,  as  well  as  any  soldier  who  ex 
posed  himself  in  the  trenches.  I  had  plenty  of 
men  who  possessed  a  training  in  wood-craft  that 
fitted  them  for  this  work;  and  as  soon  as  the  ru 
mor  got  abroad  what  I  was  planning,  volunteers 

177 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

thronged  to  me.  Daniels  and  Love  were  two  of 
the  men  always  to  the  front  in  any  enterprise  of 
this  nature;  so  were  Wadsworth,  the  two  Bulls, 
Fortescue,  and  Cowdin.  But  I  could  not  begin 
to  name  all  the  troopers  who  so  eagerly  craved 
the  chance  to  win  honor  out  of  hazard  and  danger. 

Among  them  was  good,  solemn  Fred  Herrig, 
the  Alsatian.  I  knew  Fred's  patience  and  skill  as 
a  hunter  from  the  trips  we  had  taken  together 
after  deer  and  mountain  sheep  through  the  Bad 
Lands  of  the  Little  Missouri.  He  still  spoke 
English  with  what  might  be  called  Alsatian  varia 
tions — he  always  spoke  of  the  gun  detail  as  the 
"gondetle,"  with  the  accent  on  the  first  syllable — 
and  he  expressed  a  wish  to  be  allowed  "a  holiday 
from  the  gondetle  to  go  after  dem  gorrillas."  I 
told  him  he  could  have  the  holiday,  but  to  his 
great  disappointment  the  truce  came  first,  and 
then  Fred  asked  that,  inasmuch  as  the  "gorrillas" 
were  now  forbidden  game,  he  might  be  allowed  to 
go  after  guinea  hens  instead. 

Even  after  the  truce,  however,  some  of  my 
sharp-shooters  had  occupation,  for  two  guerillas  in 
our  rear  took  occasional  shots  at  the  men  who 
were  bathing  in  a  pond,  until  one  of  our  men 
spied  them,  when  they  were  both  speedily  brought 
down.  One  of  my  riflemen  who  did  best  at  this 
kind  of  work,  by  the  way,  got  into  trouble  because 

178 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

of  it.  He  was  much  inflated  by  my  eommenda 
tion  of  him,  and  when  he  went  back  to  his  troop  he 
declined  to  obey  the  first  Sergeant's  orders  on  the 
ground  that  he  was  "the  Colonel's  sharp-shooter." 
The  Lieutenant  in  command,  being  somewhat 
puzzled,  brought  him  to  me,  and  I  had  to  ex 
plain  that  if  the  offence,  disobedience  of  orders  in 
face  of  the  enemy,  was  repeated  he  might  incur 
the  death  penalty;  whereat  he  looked  very  crest 
fallen.  That  afternoon  he  got  permission,  like 
Fred  Herrig,  to  go  after  guinea-hens,  which  were 
found  wild  in  some  numbers  round  about;  and 
he  sent  me  the  only  one  he  got  as  a  peace  offer 
ing.  The  few  guinea-hens  thus  procured  were  all 
used  for  the  sick. 

Dr.  Church  had  established  a  little  field  hos 
pital  under  the  shoulder  of  the  hill  in  our  rear. 
He  was  himself  very  sick  and  had  almost  noth 
ing  in  the  way  of  medicine  or  supplies  or  appa 
ratus  of  any  kind,  but  the  condition  of  the 
wounded  in  the  big  field  hospitals  in  the  rear  was 
so  horrible,  from  the  lack  of  attendants  as  well 
as  of  medicines,  that  we  kept  all  the  men  we  pos 
sibly  could  at  the  front.  Some  of  them  had  now 
begun  to  come  down  with  fever.  They  were  all 
very  patient,  but  it  was  pitiful  to  see  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers  lying  on  their  blankets,  if  they 
had  any,  and  if  not  then  simply  in  the  mud,  with 

179 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

nothing  to  eat  but  hardtack  and  pork,  which  of 
course  they  could  not  touch  when  their  fever  got 
high,  and  with  no  chance  to  get  more  than  the 
rudest  attention.  Among  the  very  sick  here  was 
gallant  Captain  Llewellen.  I  feared  he  was  going 
to  die.  We  finally  had  to  send  him  to  one  of 
the  big  hospitals  in  the  rear.  Doctors  Brewer 
and  Fuller  of  the  Tenth  had  been  unwearying 
in  attending  to  the  wounded,  including  many  of 
those  of  my  regiment. 

At  twelve  o'clock  we  were  notified  to  stop  fir 
ing  and  a  flag  of  truce  was  sent  in  to  demand  the 
surrender  of  the  city.  The  negotiations  gave  us 
a  breathing  spell. 

That  afternoon  I  arranged  to  get  our  baggage 
up,  sending  back  strong  details  of  men  to  carry 
up  their  own  goods,  and,  as  usual,  impressing 
into  the  service  a  kind  of  improvised  pack-train 
consisting  of  the  officers'  horses,  of  two  or  three  cap 
tured  Spanish  cavalry  horses,  two  or  three  mules 
which  had  been  shot  and  abandoned  and  which 
our  men  had  taken  and  cured,  and  two  or  three 
Cuban  ponies.  Hitherto  we  had  simply  been 
sleeping  by  the  trenches  or  immediately  in  their 
rear,  with  nothing  in  the  way  of  shelter  and  only 
one  blanket  to  every  three  or  four  men.  Fortu 
nately  there  had  been  little  rain.  We  now  got 
up  the  shelter  tents  of  the  men  and  some  flies 

1 80 


IN    THE   TRENCHES 

for  the  hospital  and  for  the  officers ;  and  my  per 
sonal  baggage  appeared.  I  celebrated  its  advent 
by  a  thorough  wash  and  shave. 

Later,  I  twice  snatched  a  few  hours  to  go  to 
the  rear  and  visit  such  of  my  men  as  I  could  find 
in  the  hospitals.  Their  patience  was  extraordi 
nary.  Kenneth  Robinson,  a  gallant  young  trooper, 
though  himself  severely  (I  supposed  at  the  time 
mortally)  wounded,  was  noteworthy  for  the  way 
in  which  he  tended  those  among  the  wounded 
who  were  even  more  helpless,  and  the  cheery 
courage  with  which  he  kept  up  their  spirits. 
Gievers,  who  was  shot  through  the  hips,  rejoined 
us  at  the  front  in  a  fortnight.  Captain  Day  was 
hardly  longer  away.  Jack  Hammer,  who,  with 
poor  Race  Smith,  a  gallant  Texas  lad  who  was 
mortally  hurt  beside  me  on  the  summit  of  the 
hill,  had  been  on  kitchen  detail,  was  wounded 
and  sent  to  the  rear ;  he  was  ordered  to  go  to  the 
United  States,  but  he  heard  that  we  were  to 
assault  Santiago,  so  he  struggled  out  to  rejoin  us, 
and  thereafter  stayed  at  the  front.  Cosby,  badly 
wounded,  made  his  way  down  to  the  sea-coast  in 
three  days,  unassisted. 

With  all  volunteer  troops,  and  I  am  inclined 
to  think  with  regulars,  too,  in  time  of  trial,  the 
best  work  can  be  got  out  of  the  men  only  if  the 
officers  endure  the  same  hardships  and  face  the 

181 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

same  risks.  In  my  regiment,  as  in  the  whole 
cavalry  division,  the  proportion  of  loss  in  killed 
and  wounded  was  considerably  greater  among  the 
officers  than  among  the  troopers,  and  this  was  ex 
actly  as  it  should  be.  Moreover,  when  we  got 
down  to  hard  pan,  we  all,  officers  and  men,  fared 
exactly  alike  as  regards  both  shelter  and  food. 
This  prevented  any  grumbling.  When  the 
troopers  saw  that  the  officers  had  nothing  but 
hardtack,  there  was  not  a  man  in  the  regiment 
who  would  not  have  been  ashamed  to  grumble  at 
faring  no  worse,  and  when  all  alike  slept  out  in 
the  open,  in  the  rear  of  the  trenches,  and  when  the 
men  always  saw  the  field  officers  up  at  night,  dur 
ing  the  digging  of  the  trenches,  and  going  the 
rounds  of  the  outposts,  they  would  not  tolerate,  in 
any  of  their  number,  either  complaint  or  shirking 
work.  When  things  got  easier  I  put  up  my  tent 
and  lived  a  little  apart,  for  it  is  a  mistake  for  an 
officer  ever  to  grow  too  familiar  with  his  men,  no 
matter  how  good  they  are ;  and  it  is  of  course 
the  greatest  possible  mistake  to  seek  popularity 
either  by  showing  weakness  or  by  mollycoddling 
the  men.  They  will  never  respect  a  commander 
who  does  not  enforce  discipline,  who  does  not 
know  his  duty,  and  who  is  not  willing  both  him 
self  to  encounter  and  to  make  them  encounter 
every  species  of  danger  and  hardship  when  neces- 

182 


IN    THE   TRENCHES 

sary.  The  soldiers  who  do  not  feel  this  way  are 
not  worthy  of  the  name  and  should  be  handled 
with  iron  severity  until  they  become  fighting  men 
and  not  shams.  In  return  the  officer  should  care 
fully  look  after  his  men,  should  see  that  they  are 
well  fed  and  well  sheltered,  and  that,  no  matter 
how  much  they  may  grumble,  they  keep  the  camp 
thoroughly  policed. 

After  the  cessation  of  the  three  days'  fighting 
we  began  to  get  our  rations  regularly  and  had 
plenty  of  hardtack  and  salt  pork,  and  usually 
about  half  the  ordinary  amount  of  sugar  and  cof 
fee.  It  was  not  a  very  good  ration  for  the  tropics, 
however,  and  was  of  very  little  use  indeed  to  the 
sick  and  half  sick.  On  two  or  three  occasions 
during  the  siege  I  got  my  improvised  pack-trim 
together  and  either  took  or  sent  it  down  to  the 
sea-coast  for  beans,  canned  tomatoes,  and  the  like. 
We  got  these  either  from  the  transports  which 
were  still  landing  stores  on  the  beach  or  from  the 
Red  Cross.  If  I  did  not  go  myself  I  sent  some 
man  who  had  shown  that  he  was  a  driving,  ener 
getic,  tactful  fellow,  who  would  somehow  get 
what  we  wanted.  Chaplain  Brown  developed 
great  capacity  in  this  line,  and  so  did  one  of  the 
troopers  named  Knoblauch,  he  who  had  dived 
after  the  rifles  that  had  sunk  off  the  pier  at  Dai 
quiri.  The  supplies  of  food  we  got  in  this  way 

183 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

had  a  very  beneficial  effect,  not  only  upon  the 
men's  health,  but  upon  their  spirits.  To  the  Red 
Cross  and  similar  charitable  organizations  we  owe 
a  great  deal.  We  also  owed  much  to  Colonel 
Weston  of  the  Commissary  Department,  who 
always  helped  us  and  never  let  himself  be  hin 
dered  by  red  tape  ;  thus  he  always  let  me  violate 
the  absurd  regulation  which  forbade  me,  even  in 
war  time,  to  purchase  food  for  my  men  from  the 
stores,  although  letting  me  purchase  for  the  offi 
cers.  I,  of  course,  paid  no  heed  to  the  regulation 
when  by  violating  it  I  could  get  beans,  canned 
tomatoes,  or  tobacco.  Sometimes  I  used  my  own 
money,  sometimes  what  was  given  me  by  Woody 
Kane,  or  what  was  sent^me  by  my  brother-in-law, 
Douglas  Robinson,  or  by  the  other  Red  Cross 
people  in  New  York.  My  regiment  did  not  fare 
very  well ;  but  I  think  it  fared  better  than  any 
other.  Of  course  no  one  would  have  minded  in 
the  least  such  hardships  as  we  endured  had  there 
been  any  need  of  enduring  them  ;  but  there  was 
none.  System  and  sufficiency  of  transportation 
were  all  that  were  needed. 

On  one  occasion  a  foreign  military  attache  vis 
ited  my  head-quarters  together  with  a  foreign  cor 
respondent  who  had  been  through  the  Turco- 
Greek  war.  They  were  both  most  friendly  critics, 
and  as  they  knew  I  was  aware  of  this,  the  corre- 

184 


IN    THE   TRENCHES 

spondent  finally  ventured  the  remark,  that  he 
thought  our  soldiers  fought  even  better  than  the 
Turks,  but  that  on  the  whole  our  system  of  mili 
tary  administration  seemed  rather  worse  than  that 
of  the  Greeks.  As  a  nation  we  had  prided  our 
selves  on  our  business  ability  and  adroitness  in 
the  arts  of  peace,  while  outsiders,  at  any  rate,  did 
not  credit  us  with  any  especial  warlike  prowess ; 
and  it  was  curious  that  when  war  came  we  should 
have  broken  down  precisely  on  the  business  and 
administrative  side,  while  the  fighting  edge  of  the 
troops  certainly  left  little  to  be  desired. 

I  was  very  much  touched  by  the  devotion  my 
men  showed  to  me.  After  they  had  once  become 
convinced  that  I  would  share  their  hardships,  they 
made  it  a  point  that  I  should  not  suffer  any  hard 
ships  at  all ;  and  I  really  had  an  extremely  easy 
time.  Whether  I  had  any  food  or  not  myself 
made  no  difference,  as  there  were  sure  to  be  cer 
tain  troopers,  and,  indeed,  certain  troop  messes, 
on  the  lookout  for  me.  If  they  had  any  beans 
they  would  send  me  over  a  cupful,  or  I  would 
suddenly  receive  a  present  of  doughnuts  from 
some  ex-roundup  cook  who  had  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  little  flour  and  sugar,  and  if  a  man 
shot  a  guinea-hen  it  was  all  I  could  do  to  make 
him  keep  half  of  it  for  himself.  Wright,  the 
color  sergeant,  and  Henry  Bardshar,  my  orderly, 

185 


THE    ROUGH    RIDERS 

always  pitched  and  struck  my  tent  and  built  me 
a  bunk  of  bamboo  poles,  whenever  we  changed 
camp.  So  I  personally  endured  very  little  dis 
comfort;  for,  of  course,  no  one  minded  the  two 
or  three  days  preceding  or  following  each  fight, 
when  we  all  had  to  get  along  as  best  we  could. 
Indeed,  as  long  as  we  were  under  fire  or  in  the 
immediate  presence  of  the  enemy,  and  I  had 
plenty  to  do,  there  was  nothing  of  which  I  could 
legitimately  complain;  and  what  I  really  did 
regard  as  hardships,  my  men  did  not  object  to — 
for  later  on,  when  we  had  some  leisure,  I  would 
have  given  much  for  complete  solitude  and  some 
good  books. 

Whether  there  was  a  truce,  or  whether,  as  some 
times  happened,  we  were  notified  that  there  was 
no  truce  but  merely  a  further  cessation  of  hostil 
ities  by  tacit  agreement,  or  whether  the  fight  was 
on,  we  kept  equally  vigilant  watch,  especially  at 
night.  In  the  trenches  every  fourth  man  kept 
awake,  the  others  sleeping  beside  or  behind  him 
on  their  rifles ;  and  the  Cossack  posts  and  pickets 
were  pushed  out  in  advance  beyond  the  edge  of 
the  jungle.  At  least  once  a  night  at  some  irregu 
lar  hour  I  tried  to  visit  every  part  of  our  line, 
especially  if  it  was  dark  and  rainy,  although  some 
times,  when  the  lines  were  in  charge  of  some  of 
ficer  like  Wilcox  or  Kane,  Greenway  or  Good- 

1 86 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

rich,  I  became  lazy,  took  off  my  boots,  and  slept 
all  night  through.  Sometimes  at  night  I  went 
not  only  along  the  lines  of  our  own  brigade,  but 
of  the  brigades  adjoining.  It  was  a  matter  of 
pride,  not  only  with  me,  but  with  all  our  men, 
that  the  lines  occupied  by  the  Rough  Riders 
should  be  at  least  as  vigilantly  guarded  as  the 
lines  of  any  regular  regiment. 

Sometimes  at  night,  when  I  met  other  officers 
inspecting  their  lines,  we  would  sit  and  talk  over 
matters,  and  wonder  what  shape  the  outcome  of 
the  siege  would  take.  We  knew  we  would  capt 
ure  Santiago,  but  exactly  how  we  would  do  it 
we  could  not  tell.  The  failure  to  establish  any 
depot  for  provisions  on  the  fighting-line,  where 
there  was  hardly  ever  more  than  twenty-four  hours' 
food  ahead,  made  the  risk  very  serious.  If  a  hur 
ricane  had  struck  the  transports,  scattering  them 
to  the  four  winds,  or  if  three  days  of  heavy  rain 
had  completely  broken  up  our  communication, 
as  they  assuredly  would  have  done,  we  would 
have  been  at  starvation  point  on  the  front ;  and 
while,  of  course,  we  would  have  lived  through  it 
somehow  and  would  have  taken  the  city,  it 
would  only  have  been  after  very  disagreeable  ex 
periences.  As  soon  as  I  was  able  I  accumulated 
for  my  own  regiment  about  forty  -  eight  hours' 
hardtack  and  salt  pork,  which  I  kept  so  far 

187 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

as  possible  intact  to  provide  against  any  emer 
gency. 

If  the  city  could  be  taken  without  direct  assault 
on  the  intrenchments  and  wire  entanglements,  we 
earnestly  hoped  it  would  be,  for  such  an  assault 
meant,  as  we  knew  by  past  experience,  the  loss  of 
a  quarter  of  the  attacking  regiments  (and  we  were 
bound  that  the  Rough  Riders  should  be  one  of 
these  attacking  regiments,  if  the  attack  had  to  be 
made).  There  was,  of  course,  nobody  who  would 
not  rather  have  assaulted  than  have  run  the  risk 
of  failure ;  but  we  hoped  the  city  would  fall  with 
out  need  arising  for  us  to  suffer  the  great  loss  of 
life  which  a  further  assault  would  have  entailed. 

Naturally,  the  colonels  and  captains  had  nothing 
to  say  in  the  peace  negotiations  which  dragged 
along  for  the  week  following  the  sending  in  the 
flag  of  truce.  Each  day  we  expected  either  to 
see  the  city  surrender,  or  to  be  told  to  begin  light 
ing  again,  and  toward  the  end  it  grew  so  irksome 
that  we  would  have  welcomed  even  an  assault  in 
preference  to  further  inaction.  I  used  to  discuss 
matters  with  the  officers  of  my  own  regiment  now 
and  then,  and  with  a  few  of  the  officers  of  the 
neighboring  regiments  with  whom  I  had  struck 
up  a  friendship — Parker,  Stevens,  Beck,  Ayres 
Morton,  and  Boughton.  I  also  saw  a  good  deal 
of  the  excellent  officers  on  the  staffs  of  Generals 

1 88 


s. 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

Wheeler  and  Sumner,  especially  Colonel  Dorst, 
Colonel  Garlington,  Captain  Howze,  Captain 
Steele,  Lieutenant  Andrews,  and  Captain  Astor 
Chanler,  who,  like  myself,  was  a  volunteer. 
Chanler  was  an  old  friend  and  a  fellow  big-game 
hunter,  who  had  done  some  good  exploring 
work  in  Africa.  I  always  wished  I  could  have 
had  him  in  my  regiment.  As  for  Dorst,  he 
was  peculiarly  fitted  to  command  a  regiment. 
Although  Howze  and  Andrews  were  not  in  my 
brigade,  I  saw  a  great  deal  of  them,  especially 
of  Howze,  who  would  have  made  a  nearly  ideal 
regimental  commander.  They  were  both  natural 
cavalry-men  and  of  most  enterprising  natures,  ever 
desirous  of  pushing  to  the  front  and  of  taking  the 
boldest  course.  The  view  Howze  always  took  of 
every  emergency  (a  view  which  found  prompt 
expression  in  his  actions  when  the  opportunity 
offered)  made  me  feel  like  an  elderly  conservative. 
The  week  of  non-fighting  was  not  all  a  period 
of  truce;  part  of  the  time  was  passed  under  a 
kind  of  nondescript  arrangement,  when  we  were 
told  not  to  attack  ourselves,  but  to  be  ready  at 
any  moment  to  repulse  an  attack  and  to  make 
preparations  for  meeting  it.  During  these  times 
I  busied  myself  in  putting  our  trenches  into  first- 
rate  shape  and  in  building  bomb-proofs  and  trav 
erses.  One  night  I  got  a  detail  of  sixty  men 

I8q 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

from  the  First,  Ninth,  and  Tenth,  whose  officers 
always  helped  us  in  every  way,  and  with  these, 
and  with  sixty  of  my  own  men,  I  dug  a  long, 
zigzag  trench  in  advance  of  the  salient  of  my  line 
out  to  a  knoll  well  in  front,  from  which  we  could 
command  the  Spanish  trenches  and  block-houses 
immediately  ahead  of  us.  On  this  knoll  we  made 
a  kind  of  bastion  consisting  of  a  deep,  semi-cir 
cular  trench  with  sand-bags  arranged  along  the 
edge  so  as  to  constitute  a  wall  with  loop-holes. 
Of  course,  when  I  came  to  dig  this  trench,  I 
kept  both  Greenway  and  Goodrich  supervising 
the  work  all  night,  and  equally  of  course  I  got 
Parker  and  Stevens  to  help  me.  By  employing 
as  many  men  as  we  did  we  were  able  to  get  the 
work  so  far  advanced  as  to  provide  against  inter 
ruption  before  the  moon  rose,  which  was  about 
midnight.  Our  pickets  were  thrown  far  out  in 
the  jungle,  to  keep  back  the  Spanish  pickets  and 
prevent  any  interference  with  the  diggers.  The 
men  seemed  to  think  the  work  rather  good  fun 
than  otherwise,  the  possibility  of  a  brush  with  the 
Spaniards  lending  a  zest  that  prevented  its  grow 
ing  monotonous. 

Parker  had  taken  two  of  his  Gatlings,  removed 
the  wheels,  and  mounted  them  in  the  trenches; 
also  mounting  the  two  automatic  Colts  where  he 
deemed  they  could  do  best  service.  With  the 

190 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

completion  of  the  trenches,  bomb-proofs,  and 
traverses,  and  the  mounting  of  these  guns,  the 
fortifications  of  the  hill  assumed  quite  a  respect 
able  character,  and  the  Gatling  men  christened 
it  Fort  Roosevelt,  by  which  name  it  afterward 
went.* 

During  the  truce  various  military  attaches  and 
foreign  officers  came  out  to  visit  us.  Two  or 
three  of  the  newspaper  men,  including  Richard 
Harding  Davis,  Caspar  Whitney,  and  John  Fox, 
had  already  been  out  to  see  us,  and  had  been  in 
the  trenches  during  the  firing,  Among  the  others 
were  Captains  Lee  and  Paget  of  the  British  army 
and  navy,  fine  fellows,  who  really  seemed  to  take 
as  much  pride  in  the  feats  of  our  men  as  if  we 
had  been  bound  together  by  the  ties  of  a  com 
mon  nationality  instead  of  the  ties  of  race  and 
speech  kinship.  Another  English  visitor  was  Sir 
Bryan  Leighton,  a  thrice-welcome  guest,  for  he 
most  thoughtfully  brought  to  ine  half  a  dozen 
little  jars  of  devilled  ham  and  potted  fruit,  which 
enabled  me  to  summon  various  officers  down  to 
my  tent  and  hold  a  feast.  Count  von  Gotzen, 
and  a  Norwegian  attache,  Gedde,  very  good  fel 
lows  both,  were  also  out.  One  day  we  were  vis 
ited  by  a  travelling  Russian,  Prince  X.,  a  large, 
blond  man,  smooth  and  impenetrable.  I  intro- 

*  See  Parker's  "  With  the  Catlings  at  Santiago." 
iqi 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

duced  him  to  one  of  the  regular  army  officers,  a 
capital  fighter  and  excellent  fellow,  who,  how 
ever,  viewed  foreign  international  politics  from  a 
strictly  trans-Mississippi  stand-point.  He  hailed 
the  Russian  with  frank  kindness  and  took  him  off 
to  show  him  around  the  trenches,  chatting  volu 
bly,  and  calling  him  "Prince,"  much  as  Ken- 
tuckians  call  one  another  "  Colonel."  As  I  re 
turned  I  heard  him  remarking :  "  You  see,  Prince, 
the  great  result  of  this  war  is  that  it  has  united 
the  two  branches  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  people  ; 
and  now  that  they  are  together  they  can  whip  the 
world,  Prince  !  they  can  whip  the  world  !  "-—being 
evidently  filled  with  the  pleasing  belief  that  the 
Russian  would  cordially  sympathize  with  this 
view. 

The  foreign  attaches  did  not  always  get  on  well 
with  our  generals.  The  two  English  representa 
tives  never  had  any  trouble,  were  heartily  admired 
by  everybody,  and,  indeed,  were  generally  treated 
as  if  they  were  of  our  own  number;  and  seem 
ingly  so  regarded  themselves.  But  this  was  not 
always  true  of  the  representatives  from  Continen 
tal  Europe.  One  of  the  latter — a  very  good  fel 
low,  by  the  way — had  not  altogether  approved  of 
the  way  he  was  treated,  and  the  climax  came 
when  he  said  good-by  to  the  General  who  had 
special  charge  of  him.  The  General  in  question 

192 


IN    THE   TRENCHES 

was  not  accustomed  to  nice  ethnic  distinctions, 
and  grouped  all  of  the  representatives  from  Con 
tinental  Europe  under  the  comprehensive  title  of 
"Dutchmen."  When  the  attache  in  question 
came  to  say  farewell,  the  General  responded  with 
a  bluff  heartiness,  in  which  perhaps  the  note  of 
sincerity  was  more  conspicuous  than  that  of  entire 
good  breeding :  "  Well,  good-by ;  sorry  you're 
going;  which  are  you  anyhow — the  German  or 
the  Russian  ?  " 

Shortly  after  midday  on  the  loth  fighting  began 
again,  but  it  soon  became  evident  that  the  Span 
iards  did  not  have  much  heart  in  it.  The  Ameri 
can  field  artillery  was  now  under  the  command  of 
General  Randolph,  and  he  fought  it  effectively. 
A  mortar  battery  had  also  been  established,  though 
with  an  utterly  inadequate  supply  of  ammunition, 
and  this  rendered  some  service.  Almost  the  only 
Rough  Riders  who  had  a  chance  to  do  much  fir 
ing  were  the  men  with  the  Colt  automatic  guns, 
and  the  twenty  picked  sharp-shooters,  who  were 
placed  in  the  newly  dug  little  fort  out  at  the  ex 
treme  front.  Parker  had  a  splendid  time  with  the 
Gatlings  and  the  Colts.  With  these  machine  guns 
he  completely  silenced  the  battery  in  front  of  us. 
This  battery  had  caused  us  a  good  deal  of  trouble 
at  first,  as  we  could  not  place  it.  It  was  imme 
diately  in  front  of  the  hospital,  from  which  many 

193 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

Red  Cross  flags  were  flying,  one  of  them  floating 
just  above  this  battery,  from  where  we  looked  at 
it.  In  consequence,  for  some  time,  we  did  not 
know  it  was  a  hostile  battery  at  all,  as,  like  all  the 
other  Spanish  batteries,  it  was  using  smokeless 
powder.  It  was  only  by  the  aid  of  powerful 
glasses  that  we  finally  discovered  its  real  nature. 
The  Gatlings  and  Colts  then  actually  put  it  out 
of  action,  silencing  the  big  guns  and  the  two 
field-pieces.  Furthermore,  the  machine  guns  and 
our  sharp-shooters  together  did  good  work  in  sup 
plementing  the  effects  of  the  dynamite  gun;  for 
when  a  shell  from  the  latter  struck  near  a  Spanish 
trench,  or  a  building  in  which  there  were  Spanish 
troops,  the  shock  was  seemingly  so  great  that  the 
Spaniards  almost  always  showed  themselves,  and 
gave  our  men  a  chance  to  do  some  execution. 

As  the  evening  of  the  loth  came  on,  the  men 
began  to  make  their  coffee  in  sheltered  places. 
By  this  time  they  knew  how  to  take  care  of  them 
selves  so  well  that  not  a  man  was  touched  by 
the  Spaniards  during  the  second  bombardment. 
While  I  was  lying  with  the  officers  just  outside 
one  of  the  bomb-proofs  I  saw  a  New  Mexican 
trooper  named  Morrison  making  his  coffee  under 
the  protection  of  a  traverse  high  up  on  the  hill. 
Morrison  was  originaily^a  Baptist  preacher  who 
joined  the  regiment  purely  from  a  sense  of 
194 


Sergeant  Guitilias,  a  Veteran 
of  the  Civil  War. 


namite-gun. 


a  Baptist  Minister. 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

duty,  leaving  his  wife  and  children,  and  had 
shown  himself  to  be  an  excellent  soldier.  He 
had  evidently  exactly  calculated  the  danger  zone, 
and  found  that  by  getting  close  to  the  traverse  he 
could  sit  up  erect  and  make  ready  his  supper 
without  being  cramped.  I  watched  him  solemnly 
pounding  the  coffee  with  the  butt  end  of  his  re 
volver,  and  then  boiling  the  water  and  frying  his 
bacon,  just  as  if  he  had  been  in  the  lee  of  the 
roundup  wagon  somewhere  out  on  the  plains. 

By  noon  of  next  day,  the  nth,  my  regiment 
with  one  of  the  Gatlings  was  shifted  over  to  the 
right  to  guard  the  Caney  road.  We  did  no  fight 
ing  in  our  new  position,  for  the  last  straggling 
shot  had  been  fired  by  the  time  we  got  there. 
That  evening  there  came  up  the  worst  storm  we 
had  had,  and  by  midnight  my  tent  blew  over.  I 
had  for  the  first  time  in  a  fortnight  undressed  my 
self  completely,  and  I  felt  fully  punished  for  my 
love  of  luxury  when  I  jumped  out  into  the  driv 
ing  downpour  of  tropic  rain,  and  groped  blindly 
in  the  darkness  for  my  clothes  as  they  lay  in  the 
liquid  mud.  It  was  Kane's  night  on  guard,  and 
I  knew  the  wretched  Woody  would  be  out  along 
the  line  and  taking  care  of  the  pickets,  no  matter 
what  the  storm  might  be  ;  and  so  I  basely  made 
my  way  to  the  kitchen  tent,  where  good  Holder- 
man,  the  Cherokee,  wrapped  me  in  dry  blankets, 

195 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

and  put  me  to  sleep  on  a  table  which  he  had  just 
procured  from  an  abandoned  Spanish  house. 

On  the  iyth  the  city  formally  surrendered  and 
our  regiment,  like  the  rest  of  the  army,  was  drawn 
up  on  the  trenches.  When  the  American  flag 
was  hoisted  the  trumpets  blared  and  the  men 
cheered,  and  we  knew  that  the  fighting  part  of 
our  work  was  over. 

Shortly  after  we  took  our  new  position  the  First 
Illinois  Volunteers  came  up  on  our  right.  The 
^ext  day,  as  a  result  of  the  storm  and  of  further 
rain,  the  rivers  were  up  and  the  roads  quagmires, 
so  that  hardly  any  food  reached  the  front.  My 
regiment  was  all  right,  as  we  had  provided  for 
just  such  an  emergency;  but  the  Illinois  new 
comers  had  of  course  not  done  so,  and  they  were 
literally  without  anything  to  eat.  They  were  fine 
fellows  and  we  could  not  see  them  suffer.  I  fur 
nished  them  some  beans  and  coffee  for  the  elder 
officers  and  two  or  three  cases  of  hardtack  for  the 
men,  and  then  mounted  my  horse  and  rode  down 
to  head-quarters,  half  fording,  half  swimming  the 
streams ;  and  late  in  the  evening  I  succeeded  in 
getting  half  a  mule-train  of  provisions  for  them. 

On  the  morning  of  the  3d  the  Spaniards  had 
sent  out  of  Santiago  many  thousands  of  women, 
children,  and  other  non-combatants,  most  of  them 
belonging  to  the  poorer  classes,  but  among  them 

IQ6 


Colonel  Roosevelt  Visiting;  Colonel  Turner,  of  the  First  Illinois 
Regiment,  U.  S.  V. 


IN   THE   TRENCHES 

not  a  few  of  the  best  families.  These  wretched 
creatures  took  very  little  with  them.  They  came 
through  our  lines  and  for  the  most  part  went  to 
El  Caney  in  our  rear,  where  we  had  to  feed  them 
and  protect  them  from  the  Cubans.  As  we  had 
barely  enough  food  for  our  own  men  the  rations 
of  the  refugees  were  scanty  indeed  and  their  suf 
ferings  great.  Long  before  the  surrender  they 
had  begun  to  come  to  our  lines  to  ask  for  provi 
sions,  and  my  men  gave  them  a  good  deal  out  of 
their  own  scanty  stores,  until  I  had  positively  to 
forbid  it  and  to  insist  that  the  refugees  should 
go  to  head-quarters ;  as,  however  hard  and  merci 
less  it  seemed,  I  was  in  duty  bound  to  keep  my 
own  regiment  at  the  highest  pitch  of  fighting 
efficiency. 

As  soon  as  the  surrender  was  assured  the  refu 
gees  came  streaming  back  in  an  endless  squalid 
procession  down  the  Caney  road  to  Santiago, 
My  troopers,  for  all  their  roughness  and  their 
ferocity  in  fight,  were  rather  tender-hearted  than 
otherwise,  and  they  helped  the  poor  creatures, 
especially  the  women  and  children,  in  every  way, 
giving  them  food  and  even  carrying  the  children 
and  the  burdens  borne  by  the  women.  I  saw  one 
man,  Happy  Jack,  spend  the  entire  day  in  walk 
ing  to  and  fro  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  on 
both  sides  of  our  lines  along  the  road,  carrying 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

the  bundles  for  a  series  of  poor  old  women,  or 
else  carrying  young  children.  Finally  the  doctor 
warned  us  that  we  must  not  touch  the  bundles  of 
the  refugees  for  fear  of  infection,  as  disease  had 
broken  out  and  was  rife  among  them.  Accord 
ingly  I  had  to  put  a  stop  to  these  acts  of  kind 
ness  on  the  part  of  my  men ;  against  which  action 
Happy  Jack  respectfully  but  strongly  protested 
upon  the  unexpected  ground  that  "  The  Almighty 
would  .never  let  a  man  catch  a  disease  while  he 
was  doing  a  good  action."  I  did  not  venture  tc 
take  so  advanced  a  theological  stand. 


VI 

THE   RETURN   HOME 

TWO  or  three  days  after  the  surrender  the 
cavalry  division  was  marched  back  to  the 
foothills  west  of  El  Caney,  and  there  went  into 
camp,  together  with  the  artillery.  It  was  a  most 
beautiful  spot  besicre  a  stream  of  clear  water,  but 
it  was  not  healthy.  In  fact  no  ground  in  the  neigh 
borhood  was  healthy.  For  the  tropics  the  climate 
was  not  bad,  and  I  have  no  question  but  that  a 
man  who  was  able  to  take  good  care  of  himself 
could  live  there  all  the  year  round  with  compara 
tive  impunity ;  but  the  case  was  entirely  different 
with  an  army  which  was  obliged  to  suffer  great 
exposure,  and  to  live  under  conditions  which  al 
most  insured  being  attacked  by  the  severe  mal 
arial  fever  of  the  country.  My  own  men  were 
already  suffering  badly  from  fever,  and  they  got 
worse  rather  than  better  in  the  new  camp.  The 
same  was  true  of  the  other  regiments  in  the  cavalry 
division.  A  curious  feature  was  that  the  colored 
troops  seemed  to  suffer  as  heavily  as  the  white. 
From  week  to  week  there  were  slight  relative 

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THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

changes,  but  on  the  average  all  the  six  cavalry 
regiments,  the  Rough  Riders,  the  white  regulars, 
and  the  colored  regulars  seemed  to  suffer  about 
alike,  and  we  were  all  very  much  weakened4 
about  as  much  as  the  regular  infantry,  although 
naturally  not  as  much  as  the  volunteer  infantry. 

Yet  even  under  such  circumstances  adventu 
rous  spirits  managed  to  make  their  way  out  to  us. 
In  the  fortnight  following  the  last  bombardment 
of  the  city  I  enlisted  no  less  than  nine  such 
recruits,  six  being  from  Harvard,  Yale,  or  Prince 
ton;  and  Bull,  the  former  Harvard  oar,  who  had 
been  back  to  the  States  crippled  after  the  first 
fight,  actually  got  back  to  us  as  a  stowaway  on 
on^  of  the  transports,  bound  to  share  the  luck  of 
the  regiment,  even  if  it  meant  yellow  fever. 

There  were  but  twelve  ambulances  with  the 
army,  and  these  were  quite  inadequate  for  their 
work ;  but  the  conditions  in  the  large  field  hospi 
tals  were  so  bad,  that  as  long  as  possible  we  kept 
all  of  our  sick  men  in  the  regimental  hospital 
at  the  front.  Dr.  Church  did  splendid  work, 
although  he  himself  was  suffering  much  more 
than  half  the  time  from  fever.  Several  of  the 
men  from  the  ranks  did  equally  well,  especially 
a  young  doctor  from  New  York,  Harry  Thorpe, 
who  had  enlisted  as  a  trooper,  but  who  was  now 
made  acting  assistant-surgeon.  It  was  with  the 

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greatest  difficulty  that  Church  and  Thorpe  were 
able  to  get  proper  medicine  for  the  sick,  and  it 
was  almost  the  last  day  of  our  stay  before  we 
were  able  to  get  cots  for  them.  Up  to  that  time 
they  lay  on  the  ground.  No  food  was  issued 
suitable  for  them,  or  for  the  half-sick  men  who 
were  not  on  the  doctor's  list ;  the  two  classes  by 
this  time  included  the  bulk  of  the  command. 
Occasionally  we  got  hold  of  a  wagon  or  of  some 
Cuban  carts,  and  at  other  times  I  used  my  im 
provised  pack-train  (the  animals  of  which,  how 
ever,  were  continually  being  taken  away  from  us 
by  our  superiors)  and  went  or  sent  back  to  the 
sea-coast  at  Siboney  or  into  Santiago  itself  to  get 
rice,  flour,  cornmeal,  oatmeal,  condensed  milk, 
potatoes,  and  canned  vegetables.  The  rice  I 
bought  in  Santiago;  the  best  of  the  other  stuff  I 
got  from  the  Red  Cross  through  Mr.  George 
Kennan  and  Miss  Clara  Barton  and  Dr.  Less 
er;  but  some  of  it  I  got  from  our  own  trans 
ports.  Colonel  Weston,  the  Commissary-Gen 
eral,  as  always,  rendered  us  every  service  in  his 
power.  This  additional  and  varied  food  was  of 
the  utmost  service,  not  merely  to  the  sick  but 
in  preventing  the  well  from  becoming  sick. 
Throughout  the  campaign  the  Division  Inspector- 
General,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Garlington,  and 
Lieutenants  West  and  Dickman,  the  acting 


201 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

division  quartermaster  and  commissary,  had  done 
everything  in  their  power  to  keep  us  supplied 
with  food;  but  where  there  were  so  few  mules 
and  wagons  even  such  able  and  zealous  officers 
could  not  do  the  impossible. 

We  had  the  camp  policed  thoroughly,  and  1 
made  the  men  build  little  bunks  of  poles  to  sleep 
on.     By  July  2^d,  when  we  had  been  ashore  a 
month,  we  were  able  to  get  fresh  meat,  and  from 
that  time  on   we  fared  well ;  but  the  men  were 
already  sickening.     The   chief  trouble    was   the 
malarial  fever,  which  was  recurrent.     For  a  few 
days  the  man  would  be  very  sick  indeed ;  then 
he  would  partially  recover,  and  be  able  to  go  back 
to  work ;  but  after  a  little  time  he  would  be  again 
struck  down.     Every  officer  other  than  myself  ex 
cept  one  was  down  with  sickness  at  one  time  or 
another.      Even    Greenway   and    Goodrich    suc 
cumbed  to  the  fever  and  were  knocked  out  for  a 
few  days.     Very  few  of  the  men  indeed  retained 
their  strength  and  energy,  and  though  the  percent 
age  actually  on  the  sick  list  never  got  over  twenty, 
there  were  less  than  fifty  per  cent,  who  were  fit  for 
any  kind  of  work.     All  the  clothes  were  in  rags ; 
even  the  officers  had  neither  socks  nor  underwear. 
The  lithe  college  athletes  had  lost  their  spring ; 
the  tall,  gaunt  hunters  and  cow-punchers  lounged 
listlessly  in  their  dog-tents,  which  were  steaming 

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THE   RETURN   HOME 

morasses  during  the  torrential  rains,  and  then 
ovens  when  the  sun  blazed  down;  but  there  were 
no  complaints. 

Through  some  blunder  our  march  from  the  in- 
trenchments  to  the  camp  on  the  foothills,  after 
the  surrender,  was  made  during  the  heat  of  the 
day;  and  though  it  was  only  some  live  miles 
or  thereabouts,  very  nearly  half  the  men  of  the 
cavalry  division  dropped  out.  Captain  Llewellen 
had  come  back,  and  led  his  troop  on  the  march- 
He  carried  a  pick  and  shovel  for  one  of  his  sick 
men,  and  after  we  reached  camp  walked  back 
with  a  mule  to  get  another  trooper  who  had  fallen 
out  from  heat  exhaustion.  The  result  was  that 
the  captain  himself  went  down  and  became  ex 
ceedingly  sick.  We  at  last  succeeded  in  sending 
him  to  the  States.  I  never  thought  he  would 
live,  but  he  did,  and  when  I  met  him  again  at 
Montauk  Point  he  had  practically  entirely  recov 
ered.  My  orderly,  Henry  Bardshar,  was  struck 
down,  and  though  he  ultimately  recovered,  he 
was  a  mere  skeleton,  having  lost  over  eighty 
pounds. 

Yellow  fever  also  broke  out  in  the  rear,  chiefly 
among  the  Cubans.  It  never  became  epidemic, 
but  it  caused  a  perfect  panic  among  some  of  our 
own  doctors,  and  especially  in  the  minds  of  one 
or  two  generals  and  of  the  home  authorities.  We 

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THE  ROUGH    RIDERS 

found  that  whenever  we  sent  a  man  to  the  rear 
he  was  decreed  to  have  yellow  fever,  whereas,  if 
we  kept  him  at  the  front,  it  always  turned  out 
that  he  had  malarial  fever,  and  after  a  few  days 
he  was  back  at  work  again.  I  doubt  if  there 
were  ever  more  than  a  dozen  genuine  cases  of 
yellow  fever  in  the  whole  cavalry  division ;  but 
the  authorities  at  Washington,  misled  by  the 
reports  they  received  from  one  or  two  of  their 
military  and  medical  advisers  at  the  front,  became 
panic-struck,  and  under  the  influence  of  their 
fears  hesitated  to  bring  the  army  home,  lest  it 
might  import  yellow  fever  into  the  United  States. 
Their  panic  was  absolutely  groundless,  as  shown 
by  the  fact  that  when  brought  home  not  a  single 
case  of  yellow  fever  developed  upon  American 
soil.  Our  real  foe  was  not  the  yellow  fever  at  all, 
but  malarial  fever,  which  was  not  infectious,  but 
which  was  certain,  if  the  troops  were  left  through 
out  the  summer  in  Cuba,  to  destroy  them,  either 
killing  them  outright,  or  weakening  them  so  that 
they  would  have  fallen  victims  to  any  disease 
that  attacked  them. 

However,  for  a  time  our  prospects  were 
gloomy,  as  the  Washington  authorities  seemed 
determined  that  we  should  stay  in  Cuba.  They 
unfortunately  knew  nothing  of  the  country  nor  of 
the  circumstances  of  the  army,  and  the  plans  that 

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THE   RETURN   HOME 

were  from  time  to  time  formulated  in  the  Depart 
ment  (and  even  by  an  occasional  general  or 
surgeon  at  the  front)  for  the  management  of  the 
army  would  have  been  comic  if  they  had  not 
possessed  such  tragic  possibilities.  Thus,  at  one 
period  it  was  proposed  that  we  should  shift  camp 
every  two  or  three  days.  Now,  our  transporta 
tion,  as  I  have  pointed  out  before,  was  utterly  in 
adequate.  In  theory,  under  the  regulations  of 
the  War  Department,  each  regiment  should  have 
had  at  least  twenty-five  wagor.s.  As  a  matter  of 
fact  our  regiment  often  had  none,  sometimes  one, 
rarely  two,  and  never  three ;  yet  it  was  better  off 
than  any  other  in  the  cavalry  division.  In  con 
sequence  it  was  impossible  to  carry  much  of  any 
thing  save  what  the  men  had  on  their  backs,  and 
half  of  the  men  were  too"  weak  to  walk  three 
miles  with  their  packs.  Whenever  we  shifted 
camp  the  exertion  among  the  half-sick  caused 
jur  sick-roll  to  double  next  morning,  and  it  took 
at  least  three  days,  even  when  the  shift  was  for 
but  a  short  distance,  before  we  were  able  to  bring 
up  the  officers'  luggage,  the  hospital  spare  food, 
the  ammunition,  etc.  Meanwhile  the  officers 
slept  wherever  they  could,  and  those  men  who 
had  not  been  able  to  carry  their  own  bedding, 
slept  as  the  officers  did.  In  the  weak  condition 
<?f  the  men  the  labor  of  pitching  camp  was  severe 

205 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

and  told  heavily  upon  them.  In  short,  the 
scheme  of  continually  shifting  camp  was  impos 
sible  of  fulfilment.  It  would  merely  have  re 
sulted  in  the  early  destruction  of  the  army. 

Again,  it  was  proposed  that  we  should  go  up 
the  mountains  and  make  our  camps  there.  The 
palm  and  the  bamboo  grew  to  the  summits  of  the 
mountains,  and  the  soil  along  their  sides  was  deep 
and  soft,  while  the  rains  were  very  heavy,  much 
more  so  than  immediately  on  the  coast — every 
mile  or  two  inland  bringing  with  it  a  great  in 
crease  in  the  rainfall.  We  could,  with  much  dif 
ficulty,  have  got  our  regiments  up  the  mountains, 
but  not  half  the  men  could  have  got  up  with  their 
belongings;  and  once  there  it  would  have  been 
an  impossibility  to  feed  them.  It  was  all  that 
could  be  done,  with  the  limited  number  of  wagons 
and  mule-trains  on  hand,  to  feed  the  men  in  the 
existing  camps,  for  the  travel  and  the  rain  gradu 
ally  rendered  each  road  in  succession  wholly  im 
passable.  To  have  gone  up  the  mountains  would 
have  meant  early  starvation. 

The  third  plan  of  the  Department  was  even 
more  objectionable  than  either  of  the  others. 
There  was,  some  twenty-five  miles  in  the  interior, 
what  was  called  a  high  interior  plateau,  and  at 
one  period  we  were  informed  that  we  were  to  be 
marched  thither.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  so 

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THE   RETURN   HOME 

called  high  plateau  was  the  sugar-cane  country, 
where,  during  the  summer,  the  rainfall  was  pro 
digious.  It  was  a  rich,  deep  soil,  covered  with  a 
rank  tropic  growth,  the  guinea-grass  being  higher 
than  the  head  of  a  man  on  horseback.  It  was  a  per 
fect  hotbed  of  malaria,  and  there  was  no  dry  ground 
whatever  in  which  to  camp.  To  have  sent  the 
troops  there  would  have  been  simple  butchery. 

Under  these  circumstances  the  alternative  to 
leaving  the  country  altogether  was  to  stay  where 
we  were,  with  the  hope  that  half  the  men  would 
live  through  to  the  cool  season.  We  did  every 
thing  possible  to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  the  men, 
but  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  because  there  was 
nothing  for  them  to  do.  They  were  weak  and  lan 
guid,  and  in  the  wet  heat  they  had  lost  energy,  so 
that  it  was  not  possible  for  them  to  indulge  in 
sports  or  pastimes.  There  were  exceptions ;  but  the 
average  man  who  went  off  to  shoot  guinea-hens 
or  tried  some  vigorous  game  always  felt  much  the 
worse  for  his  exertions.  Once  or  twice  I  took 
some  of  my  comrades  with  me,  and  climbed  up 
one  or  another  of  the  surrounding  mountains,  but 
the  result  generally  was  that  half  of  the  party  were 
down  with  some  kind  of  sickness  next  day.  It 
was  impossible  to  take  heavy  exercise  in  the  heat 
of  the  day ;  the  evening  usually  saw  a  rain-storm 
which  made  the  country  a  quagmire ;  and  in  the 

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THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

early  morning  the  drenching  dew  and  wet,  slimy 
soil  made  walking  but  little  pleasure.  Chaplain 
Brown  held  service  every  Sunday  under  a  low 
tree  outside  my  tent ;  and  we  always  had  a  con 
gregation  of  a  few  score  troopers,  lying  or  sitting 
round,  their  strong  hard  faces  turned  toward  the 
preacher.  I  let  a  few  of  the  men  visit  Santiago, 
but  the  long  walk  in  and  out  was  very  tiring,  and, 
moreover,  wise  restrictions  had  been  put  as  to 
either  officers  or  men  coming  in. 

In  any  event  there  was  very  little  to  do  in  the 
quaint,  dirty  old  Spanish  city,  though  it  was  in 
teresting  to  go  in  once  or  twice,  and  wander 
through  the  narrow  streets  with  their  curious  little 
shops  and  low  houses  of  stained  stucco,  with  elab 
orately  wrought  iron  trellises  to  the  windows,  and 
curiously  carved  balconies ;  or  to  sit  in  the  central 
plaza  where  the  cathedral  was,  and  the  clubs,  and 
the  Cafe  Venus,  and  the  low,  bare,  rambling  build 
ing  which  was  called  the  Governor's  Palace.  In 
this  palace  Wood  had  now  been  established  as 
military  governor,  and  Luna,  and  two  or  three  of 
my  other  officers  from  the  Mexican  border,  who 
knew  Spanish,  were  sent  in  to  do  duty  under  him. 
A  great  many  of  my  men  knew  Spanish,  and  some 
of  the  New  Mexicans  were  of  Spanish  origin, 
although  they  behaved  precisely  like  the  other 
members  of  the  regiment. 

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THE   RETURN    HOME 

We  should  probably  have  spent  the  summer 
in  our  sick  camps,  losing  half  the  men  and  hope 
lessly  shattering  the  health  of  the  remainder,  if 
General  Shafter  had  not  summoned  a  council  of 
officers,  hoping  by  united  action  of  a  more  or  less 
public  character  to  wake  up  the  Washington  au 
thorities  to  the  actual  condition  of  things.  As 
all  the  Spanish  forces  in  the  province  of  Santiago 
had  surrendered,  and  as  so-called  immune  regi 
ments  were  coming  to  garrison  the  conquered  ter 
ritory,  there  was  literally  not  one  thing  of  any 
kind  whatsoever  for  the  army  to  do,  and  no  pur 
pose  to  serve  by  keeping  it  at  Santiago.  We 
did  not  suppose  that  peace  was  at  hand,  being 
ignorant  of  the  negotiations.  We  were  anxious 
to  take  part  in  the  Porto  Rico  campaign,  and 
would  have  been  more  than  willing  to  suffer  any 
amount  of  sickness,  if  by  so  doing  we  could  get 
into  action.  But  if  we  were  not  to  take  part  in 
the  Porto  Rico  campaign,  then  we  knew  it  was 
absolutely  indispensable  to  get  our  commands 
north  immediately,  if  they  were  to  be  in  trim  for 
the  great  campaign  against  Havana,  which  would 
surely  be  the  main  event  of  the  winter  if  peace 
were  not  declared  in  advance. 

Our  army  included  the  great  majority  of  the 
regulars,  and  was,  therefore,  the  flower  of  the 
American  force.  It  was  on  every  account  im- 

209 


THE    ROUGH    RIDERS 

perative  to  keep  it  in  good  trim ;  and  to  keep  it 
in  Santiago  meant  its  entirely  purposeless  destruc 
tion.  As  soon  as  the  surrender  was  an  accom 
plished  fact,  the  taking  away  of  the  army  to  the 
north  should  have  begun. 

Every  officer,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest, 
especially  among  the  regulars,  realized  all  of  this, 
and  about  the  last  day  of  July,  General  Shafter 
called  a  conference,  in  the  palace,  of  all  the  di 
vision  and  brigade  commanders.  By  this  time, 
owing  to  Wood's  having  been  made  Governor- 
General,  I  was  in  command  of  my  brigade,  so  I 
went  to  the  conference  too,  riding  in  with  Gen 
erals  Sumner  and  Wheeler,  who  were  the  other 
representatives  of  the  cavalry  division.  Besides 
the  line  officers  all  the  chief  medical  officers  were 
present  at  the  conference.  The  telegrams  from 
the  Secretary  stating  the  position  of  himself  and 
the  Surgeon-General  were  read,  and  then  almost 
every  line  and  medical  officer  present  expressed 
his  views  in  turn.  They  were  almost  all  regulars 
and  had  been  brought  up  to  life-long  habits  of 
obedience  without  protest.  They  were  ready  to 
obey  still,  but  they  felt,  quite  rightly,  that  it  was 
their  duty  to  protest  rather  than  to  see  the  flower 
of  the  United  States  forces  destroyed  as  the  cul 
minating  act  of  a  campaign  in  which  the  blun 
ders  that  had  been  committed  had  been  retrieved 

210 


THE   RETURN    HOME 

only  by  the  valor  and  splendid  soldierly  qualities 
of  the  officers  and  enlisted  men  of  the  infantry 
and  dismounted  cavalry.  There  was  not  a  dis 
senting  voice ;  for  there  could  not  be.  There 
was  but  one  side  to  the  question.  To  talk  of 
continually  shifting  camp  or  of  moving  up  the 
mountains  or  of  moving  into  the  interior  was 
idle,  for  not  one  of  the  plans  could  be  carried  out 
with  our  utterly  insufficient  transportation,  and  at 
that  season  and  in  that  climate  they  would  merely 
have  resulted  in  aggravating  the  sickliness  of  the 
soldiers.  It  was  deemed  best  to  make  some  rec 
ord  of  our  opinion,  in  the  shape  of  a  letter  or 
report,  which  would  show  that  to  keep  the  army 
in  Santiago  meant  its  absolute  and  objectless  ruin, 
and  that  it  should  at  once  be  recalled.  At  first 
there  was  naturally  some  hesitation  on  the  part  of 
the  regular  officers  to  take  the  initiative,  for  their 
entire  future  career  might  be  sacrificed.  So  I 
wrote  a  letter  to  General  Shafter,  reading  over  the 
rough  draft  to  the  various  Generals  and  adopting 
their  corrections.  Before  I  had  finished  making 
these  corrections  it  was  determined  that  we  should 
send  a  circular  letter  on  behalf  of  all  of  us  to 
General  Shafter,  and  wrjen  I  returned  from  pre 
senting  him  mine,  I  found  this  circular  letter  al 
ready  prepared  and  we  all  of  us  signed  it.  Both 
letters  were  made  public.  The  result  was  imme- 


211 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

diate.  Within  three  days  the  army  was  ordered 
to  be  ready  to  sail  for  home. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  we  were  to  sail 
for  home  the  spirits  of  the  men  changed  for  the 
better.  In  my  regiment  the  officers  began  to  plan 
methods  of  drilling  the  men  on  horseback,  so  as 
to  fit  them  for  use  against  the  Spanish  cavalry,  if 
we  should  go  against  Havana  in  December.  We 
had,  all  of  us,  eyed  the  captured  Spanish  cavalry 
with  particular  interest.  The  men  were  small, 
and  the  horses,  though  well  trained  and  well 
built,  were  diminutive  ponies,  very  much  smaller 
than  cow  ponies.  We  were  certain  that  if  we 
ever  got  a  chance  to  try  shock  tactics  against 
them  they  would  go  down  like  nine-pins,  pro 
vided  only  that  our  men  could  be  trained  to 
charge  in  any  kind  of  line,  and  we  made  up  our 
minds  to  devote  our  time  to  this.  Dismounted 
work  with  the  rifle  we  already  felt  thoroughly 
competent  to  perform. 

My  time  was  still  much  occupied  with  looking 
after  the  health  of  my  brigade,  but  the  fact  that 
we  were  going  home,  where  I  knew  that  their 
health  would  improve,  lightened  my  mind,  and 
I  was  able  thoroughly  to  enjoy  the  beauty  of  the 
country,  and  even  of  the  storms,  which  hitherto  I 
had  regarded  purely  as  enemies. 

The  surroundings  of  the  city  of  Santiago  are 

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THE   RETURN    HOME 

very  grand.  The  circling  mountains  rise  sheer 
and  high.  The  plains  are  threaded  by  rapid 
winding  brooks  and  are  dotted  here  and  there 
with  quaint  villages,  curiously  picturesque  from 
their  combining  traces  of  an  outworn  old-world 
civilization  with  new  and  raw  barbarism.  The 
tall,  graceful,  feathery  bamboos  rise  by  the  water's 
edge,  and  elsewhere,  even  on  the  mountain-crests, 
where  the  soil  is  wet  and  rank  enough ;  and  the 
splendid  royal  palms  and  cocoanut  palms  tower 
high  above  the  matted  green  jungle. 

Generally  the  thunder-storms  came  in  the  after 
noon,  but  once  I  saw  one  at  sunrise,  driving  down 
the  high  mountain  valleys  toward  us.  It  was  a 
very  beautiful  and  almost  terrible  sight ;  for  the 
sun  rose  behind  the  storm,  and  shone  through  the 
gusty  rifts,  lighting  the  mountain-crests  here  and 
there,  while  the  plain  below  lay  shrouded  in  the 
lingering  night.  The  angry,  level  rays  edged  the 
dark  clouds  with  crimson,  and  turned  the  down 
pour  into  sheets  of  golden  rain ;  in  the  valleys  the 
glimmering  mists  were  tinted  every  wild  hue  ;  and 
the  remotest  heavens  were  lit  with  flaming  glory. 

One  day  General  Lawton,  General  Wood  and 
I,  with  Ferguson  and  poor  Tiffany,  went  down  the 
bay  to  visit  Morro  Castle.  The  shores  were  beau 
tiful,  especially  where  there  were  groves  of  palms 
and  of  the  scarlet-flower  tree,  and  the  castle  itself, 

213 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

on  a  jutting  headland,  overlooking  the  sea  and 
guarding  the  deep,  narrow  entrance  to  the  bay, 
showed  just  what  it  was,  the  splendid  relic  of  a 
vanished  power  and  a  vanished  age.  We  wan 
dered  all  through  it,  among  the  castellated  battle 
ments,  and  in  the  dungeons,  where  we  found  hide 
ous  rusty  implements  of  torture ;  and  looked  at 
the  guns,  some  modern  and  some  very  old.  It 
had  been  little  hurt  by  the  bombardment  of  the 
ships.  Afterward  I  had  a  swim,  not  trusting 
much  to  the  shark  stories.  We  passed  by  the 
sunken  hulks  of  the  Merrimac  and  the  Reina 
Mercedes,  lying  just  outside  the  main  channel. 
Our  own  people  had  tried  to  sink  the  first  and 
the  Spaniards  had  tried  to  sink  the  second,  so  as 
to  block  the  entrance.  Neither  attempt  was  suc 
cessful. 

On  August  6th  we  were  ordered  to  embark,  and 
next  morning  we  sailed  on  the  transport  Miami. 
General  Wheeler  was  with  us  and  a  squadron  of 
the  Third  Cavalry  under  Major  Jackson.  The 
General  put  the  policing  and  management  of  the 
ship  into  my  hands,  and  I  had  great  aid  from 
Captain  McCormick,  who  had  been  acting  with 
me  as  adjutant-general  of  the  brigade.  I  had  prof 
ited  by  my  experience  coming  down,  and  as  Dr. 
Church  knew  his  work  well,  although  he  was  very 
sick,  we  kept  the  ship  in  such  good  sanitary  con- 

214 


THE   RETURN    HOME 

dition,  that  we  were  one  of  the  very  few  organiza- 
tions  allowed  to  land  at  Montauk  immediately 
upon  our  arrival. 

Soon  after  leaving  port  the. captain  of  the  ship 
notified  me  that  his  stokers  and  engineers  were 
insubordinate  and  drunken,  due,  he  thought,  to 
liquor  which  my  men  had  given  them.  I  at  once 
started  a  search  of  the  ship,  explaining  to  the  men 
that  they  could  not  keep  the  liquor;  that  if  they 
surrendered  whatever  they  had  to  me  I  should 
return  it  to  them  when  we  went  ashore  ;  and  that 
meanwhile  I  would  allow  the  sick  to  drink  when 
they  really  needed  it ;  but  that  if  they  did  not 
'give  the  liquor  to  me  of  their  own  accord  I 
would  throw  it  overboard.  About  seventy  flasks 
and  bottles  were  handed  to  me,  and  I  found  and 
threw  overboard  about  twenty.  This  at  once  put 
a  stop  to  all  drunkenness.  The  stokers  and  en 
gineers  were  sullen  and  half  mutinous,  so  I  sent  a 
detail  of  my  men  down  to  watch  them  and  see 
that  they  did  their  work  under  the  orders  of  the 
chief  engineer;  and  we  reduced  them  to  obedi 
ence  in  short  order.  I  could  easily  have  drawn 
from  the  regiment  sufficient  skilled  men  to  fill 
every  position  in  the  entire  ship's  crew,  from  cap 
tain  to  stoker. 

We  were  very  much  crowded  on  board  the 
ship,  but  rather  better  off  than  on  the  Yucatan,  so 

215 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

far  as  the  men  were  concerned,  which  was  the  im« 
portant  point.  All  the  officers  except  General 
Wheeler  slept  in  a  kind  of  improvised  shed,  not 
unlike  a  chicken  coop  with  bunks,  on  the  after 
most  part  of  the  upper  deck.  The  water  was 
bad — some  of  it  very  bad.  There  -was  no  ice. 
The  canned  beef  proved  practically  uneatable,  as 
we  knew  would  be  the  case.  There  were  not 
enough  vegetables.  We  did  not  have  enough 
disinfectants,  and  there  was  no  provision  what 
ever  for  a  hospital  or  for  isolating  the  sick ;  we 
simply  put  them  on  one  portion  of  one  deck. 
If,  as  so  many  of  the  high  authorities  had  insisted, 
there  had  really  been  a  yellow-fever  epidemic, 
and  if  it  had  broken  out  on  shipboard,  the  con 
dition  would  have  been  frightful ;  but  there  was 
no  yellow-fever  epidemic.  Three  of  our  men 
had  been  kept  behind  as  suspects,  all  three  suffer 
ing  simply  from  malarial  fever.  One  of  them, 
Lutz,  a  particularly  good  soldier,  died;  another, 
who  was  simply  a  malingerer  and  had  nothing  the 
matter  with  him  whatever,  of  course  recovered; 
the  third  was  Tiffany  who,  I  believe,  would  have 
lived  had  we  been  allowed  to  take  him  with  us, 
but  who  was  sent  home  later  and  died  soon  after 
landing. 

I  was  very  anxious  to  keep  the  men  amused, 
and  as  the  quarters  were  so  crowded  that  it  was 

216 


THE   RETURN    HOME 

out  of  the  question  for  them  to  have  any  physical 
exercise,  I  did  not  interfere  with  their  playing 
games  of  chance  so  long  as  no  disorder  followed. 
On  shore  this  was  not  allowed ;  but  in  the  par 
ticular  emergency  which  we  were  meeting,  the 
loss  of  a  month's  salary  was  as  nothing  compared 
to  keeping  the  men  thoroughly  interested  and 
diverted. 

By  care  and  diligence  we  succeeded  in  pre 
venting  any  serious  sickness.  One  man  died, 
however.  He  had  been  suffering  from  dysentery 
ever  since  we  landed,  owing  purely  to  his  own 
fault,  for  on  the  very  first  night  ashore  he  obtained 
a  lot  of  fiery  liquor  from  some  of  the  Cubans,  got 
very  drunk,  and  had  to  march  next  day  through 
the  hot  sun  before  he  was  entirely  sober.  He 
never  recovered,  and  was  useless  from  that  time 
on.  On  board  ship  he  died,  and  we  gave  him  sea 
burial.  Wrapped  in  a  hammock,  he  was  placed 
opposite  a  port,  and  the  American  flag  thrown 
over  him.  The  engine  was  stilled,  and  the  great 
ship  rocked  on  the  waves  unshaken  by  the  screw, 
while  the  war-worn  troopers  clustered  around  with 
bare  heads,  to  listen  to  Chaplain  Brown  read  the 
funeral  service,  and  to  the  band  of  the  Third 
Cavalry  as  it  played  the  funeral  dirge.  Then  the 
port  was  knocked  free,  the  flag  withdrawn,  and 
the  shotted  hammock  plunged  heavily  over  the 

217 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

side,  rushing  down  through  the  dark  water  to  lie, 
till  the  Judgment  Day,  in  the  ooze  that  holds  the 
timbers  of  so  many  gallant  ships,  and  the  bones 
of  so  many  fearless  adventurers. 

We  were  favored  by  good  weather  during  our 
nine  days'  voyage,  and  much  of  the  time  when 
there  was  little  to  do  we  simply  sat  together  and 
talked,  each  .man  contributing  from  the  fund  of 
his  own  experiences.  Voyages  around  Cape 
Horn,  yacht  races  for  the  America's  cup,  experi 
ences  on  foot-ball  teams  which  are  famous  in  the 
annals  of  college  sport;  more  serious  feats  ot 
desperate  prowess  in  Indian  fighting  and  in  break 
ing  up  gangs  of  white  outlaws;  adventures  in 
hunting  big  game,  in  breaking  wild  horses,  in 
tending  great  herds  of  cattle,  and  in  wandering 
winter  and  summer  among  the  mountains  and 
across  the  lonely  plains — the  men  who  told  the 
tales  could  draw  upon  countless  memories  such 
as  these  of  the  things  they  had  done  and  the 
things  they  had  seen  others  do.  Sometimes 
General  Wheeler  joined  us  and  told  us  about  the 
great  war,  compared  with  which  ours  was  such 
a  small  war — far-reaching  in  their  importance 
though  its  effects  were  destined  to  be.  When  we 
had  become  convinced  that  we  would  escape  an 
epidemic  of  sickness  the  homeward  voyage 
became  very  pleasant. 

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THE   RETURN    HOME 

On  the  eve  of  leaving  Santiago  I  had  received 
from  Mr.  Laffan  of  the  Sun,  a  cable  with  the 
single  word  "  Peace,"  and  we  speculated  much 
on  this,  as  the  clumsy  transport  steamed  slowly 
northward  across  the  trade  wind  and  then  into 
the  Gulf  Stream.  At  last  we  sighted  the  low, 
sandy  bluffs  of  the  Long  Island  coast,  and  late 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  14th  we  steamed  through 
the  still  waters  of  the  Sound  and  cast  anchor  off 
Montauk.  A  gun-boat  of  the  Mosquito  fleet 
came  out  to  greet  us  and  to  inform  us  that  peace 
negotiations  had  begun. 

Next  morning  we  were  marched  on  shore. 
Many  of  the  men  were  very  sick  indeed.  Of  the 
three  or  four  who  had  been  closest  to  me  among 
the  enlisted  men,  Color-Sergeant  Wright  was  the 
only  one  in  good  health.  Henry  Bardshar  was  a 
wreck,  literally  at  death's  door.  I  was  myself  in 
first-class  health,  all  the  better  for  having  lost 
twenty  pounds.  Faithful  Marshall,  my  colored 
body-servant,  was  so  sick  as  to  be  nearly  helpless. 

Bob  Wrenn  nearly  died.  He  had  joined  us 
very  late  and  we  could  not  get  him  a  Krag  car 
bine;  so  I  had  given  him  my  Winchester,  which 
carried  the  government  cartridge;  and  when  he 
was  mustered  out  he  carried  it  home  in  triumph, 
to  the  envy  of  his  fellows,  who  themselves  had  to 
surrender  their  beloved  rifles. 

219 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

For  the  first  few  days  there  was  great  confusion 
and  some  want  even  after  we  got  to  Montauk. 
The  men  in  hospitals  suffered  from  lack  of  almost 
everything,  even  cots.  But  after  these  few  days 
we  were  very  well  cared  for  and  had  abundance 
of  all  we  needed,  except  that  on  several  occasions 
there  was  a  shortage  of  food  for  the  horses,  which 
I  should  have  regarded  as  even  more  serious  than 
a  shortage  for  the  men,  had  it  not  been  that  we 
were  about  to  be  disbanded.  The  men  lived  high, 
with  milk,  eggs,  oranges,  and  any  amount  of 
tobacco,  the  lack  of  which  during  portions  of  the 
Cuban  campaign  had  been  felt  as  seriously  as  any 
lack  of  food.  One  of  the  distressing  features  of 
the  malarial  fever  which  had  been  ravaging  the 
troops  was  that  it  was  recurrent  and  persistent. 
Some  of  my  men  died  after  reaching  home,  and 
many  were  very  sick.  We  owed  much  to  the 
kindness  hot  only  of  the  New  York  hospitals  and 
the  Red  Cross  and  kindred  societies,  but  of  indi 
viduals,  notably  Mr.  Bayard  Cutting  and  Mrs. 
Armitage,  who  took  many  of  our  men  to  their 
beautiful  Long  Island  homes. 

On  the  whole,  however,  the  month  we  spent 
at  Montauk  before  we  disbanded  was  very  pleas 
ant.  It  was  good  to  meet  the  rest  of  the  regi 
ment.  They  all  felt  dreadfully  at  not  having 
been  in  Cuba.  It  was  a  sore  trial  to  men  who 


220 


THE   RETURN   HOME 

had  given  up  much  to  go  to  the  war,  and  who 
rebelled  at  nothing  in  the  way  of  hardship  or  suf 
fering,  but  who  did  bitterly  feel  the  fact  that  their 
sacrifices  seemed  to  have  been  useless.  Of  course 
those  who  stayed  had  done  their  duty  precisely 
as  did  those  who  went,  for  the  question  of  glory 
was  not  to  be  considered  in  comparison  to  the 
faithful  performance  of  whatever  was  ordered; 
and  no  distinction  of  any  kind  was  allowed  in  the 
regiment  between  those  whose  good  fortune  it 
had  been  to  go  and  those  whose  harder  fate  it  had 
been  to  remain.  Nevertheless  the  latter  could 
not  be  entirely  comforted. 

The  regiment  had  three  mascots ;  the  two  most 
characteristic — a  young  mountain  lion  brought 
by  the  Arizona  troops,  and  a  war  eagle  brought 
by  the  New  Mexicans — we  had  been  forced  to 
leave  behind  in  Tampa.  The  third,  a  rather  dis 
reputable  but  exceedingly  knowing  little  dog 
named  Cuba,  had  accompanied  us  through  all 
the  vicissitudes  of  the  campaign.  The  mountain 
lion,  Josephine,  possessed  an  infernal  temper; 
whereas  both  Cuba  and  the  eagle,  which  have 
been  named  in  my  honor,  were  extremely  good- 
humored.  Josephine  was  kept  tied  up.  She 
sometimes  escaped.  One  cool  night  in  early  Sep 
tember  she  wandered  off  and,  entering  the  tent 
of  a  Third  Cavalry  man,  got  into  bed  with  him ; 

221 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

whereupon  he  fled  into  the  darkness  with  yells, 
much  more  unnerved  than  he  would  have  been 
by  the  arrival  of  any  number  of  Spaniards.  The 
eagle  was  let  loose  and  not  only  walked  at  will 
up  and  down  the  company  streets,  but  also  at 
times  flew  wherever  he  wished.  He  was  a  young 
bird,  having  been  taken  out  of  his  nest  when  a 
fledgling.  Josephine  hated  him  and  was  always 
trying  to  make  a  meal  of  him,  especially  when 
we  endeavored  to  take  their  photographs  together. 
The  eagle,  though  good-natured,  was  an  entirely 
competent  individual  and  ready  at  any  moment 
to  beat  Josephine  off.  Cuba  was  also  oppressed 
at  times  by  Josephine,  and  was  of  course  no  match 
for  her,  but  was  frequently  able  to  overawe  by 
simple  decision  of  character. 

In  addition  to  the  animal  mascots,  we  had  two 
or  three  small  boys  who  had  also  been  adopted 
by  the  regiment.  One,  from  Tennessee,  was 
named  Dabney  Royster.  When  we  embarked 
at  Tampa  he  smuggled  himself  on  board  the 
transport  with  a  22-calibre  rifle  and  three  boxes 
of  cartridges,  and  wept  bitterly  when  sent  ashore. 
The  squadron  which  remained  behind  adopted 
him,  got  him  a  little  Rough  Rider's  uniform,  and 
made  him  practically  one  of  the  regiment. 

The  men  who  had  remained  at  Tampa,  like 
ourselves,  had  suffered  much  from  fever,  and 

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THE   RETURN    HOME 

the  horses  were  in  bad  shape:  So  many  of  the 
men  were  sick  that  none  of  the  regiments  began 
to  drill  for  some  time  after  reaching  Montauk. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  paper-work  to  be  done  ; 
but  as  I  still  had  charge  of  the  brigade  only  a 
little  of  it  fell  on  my  shoulders.  Of  this  I  was 
sincerely  glad,  for  I  knew  as  little  of  the  paper 
work  as  my  men  had  originally  known  of  drill. 
We  had  all  of  us  learned  how  to  fight  and  march ; 
but  the  exact  limits  of  our  rights  and  duties  in 
other  respects  were  not  very  clearly  defined  in 
our  minds ;  and  as  for  myself,  as  I  had  not  had 
the  time  to  learn  exactly  what  they  were,  I  had 
assumed  a  large  authority  in  giving  rewards  and 
punishments.  In  particular  I  had  looked  on 
court-martials  much  as  Peter  Bell  looked  on 
primroses — they  were  court-martials  and  nothing 
more,  whether  resting  on  the  authority  of  a  lieu 
tenant-colonel  or  of  a  major-general.  The  muster- 
ing-out  officer,  a  thorough  soldier,  found  to  his 
horror  that  I  had  used  the  widest  discretion  both 
in  imposing  heavy  sentences  which  I  had  no 
power  to  impose  on  men  who  shirked  their 
duties,  and,  where  men  atoned  for  misconduct 
by  marked  gallantry,  in  blandly  remitting  sen 
tences  approved  by  my  chief  of  division.  How 
ever,  I  had  done  substantial,  even  though  some 
what  rude  and  irregular,  justice — and  no  harm 

223 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

could  result,  as  we  were  just  about  to  be  mus 
tered  out. 

My  chief  duties  were  to  see  that  the  camps  of 
the  three  regiments  were  thoroughly  policed  and 
kept  in  first-class  sanitary  condition.  This  took 
up  some  time,  of  course,  and  there  were  other 
matters  in  connection  with  the  mustering  out 
which  had  to  be  attended  to ;  but  I  could  always 
get  two  or  three  hours  a  day  free  from  work. 
Then  I  would  summon  a  number  of  the  officers, 
Kane,  Greenway,  Goodrich,  Church,  Ferguson, 
Mcllhenny,  Frantz,  Ballard  and  others,  and  we 
would  gallop  down  to  the  beach  and  bathe  in  the 
surf,  or  else  go  for  long  rides  over  the  beautiful 
rolling  plains,  thickly  studded  with  pools  which 
were  white  with  water-lilies.  Sometimes  I  went 
off  alone  with  my  orderly,  young  Gordon  John 
ston,  one  of  the  best  men  in  the  regiment ;  he 
was  a  nephew  of  the  Governor  of  Alabama,  and 
when  at  Princeton  had  played  on  the  eleven. 
We  had  plenty  of  horses,  and  these  rides  were 
most  enjoyable.  Galloping  over  the  open,  rolling 
country,  through  the  cooi  fall  evenings,  made  us 
feel  as  if  we  were  out  on  the  great  Western  plains 
and  might  at  any  moment  start  deer  from  the 
brush,  or  see  antelope  stand  and  gaze,  far  away, 
or  rouse  a  band  of  mighty  elk  and  hear  their 
horns  clatter  as  they  fled. 

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THE   RETURN   HOME 

An  old  friend,  Baron  von  Sternberg,  of  the 
German  Embassy,  spent  a  week  in  camp  with  me. 
He  had  served,  when  only  seventeen,  in  the 
Franco-Prussian  War  as  a  hussar,  and  was  a  noted 
sharp-shooter — being  "the  little  baron"  who  is 
the  hero  of  Archibald  Forbes's  true  story  of  "  The 
Pig-dog."  He  and  I  had  for  years  talked  over 
the  possibilities  of  just  such  a  regiment  as  the 
one  I  was  commanding,  and  he  was  greatly  inter 
ested  in  it.  Indeed  I  had  vainly  sought  permis 
sion  from  the  German  ambassador  to  take  him 
with  the  regiment  to  Santiago. 

One  Sunday  before  the  regiment  disbanded  I 
supplemented  Chaplain  Brown's  address  to  the 
men  by  a  short  sermon  of  a  rather  hortatory  char 
acter.  I  told  them  how  proud  I  was  of  them, 
but  warned  them  not  to  think  that  they  could 
now  go  back  and  rest  on  their  laurels,  bidding 
them  remember  that  though  for  ten  days  or  so 
the  world  would  be  willing  to  treat  them  as  he 
roes,  yet  after  that  time  they  would  find  they  had 
to  get  down  to  hard  work  just  like  everyone  else, 
unless  they  were  willing  to  be  regarded  as  worth 
less  do-nothings.  They  took  the  sermon  in  good 
part,  and  I  hope  that  some  of  them  profited  by 
it.  At  any  rate,  they  repaid  me  by  a  very  much 
more  tangible  expression  of  affection.  One  after 
noon,  to  my  genuine  surprise,  I  was  asked  out  of 

225 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

my  tent  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Brodie  (the  gal 
lant  old  boy  had  rejoined  us),  and  found  the 
whole  regiment  formed  in  hollow  square,  with  the 
officers  and  color-sergeant  in  the  middle.  When 
I  went  in,  one  of  the  troopers  came  forward  and 
on  behalf  of  the  regiment  presented  me  with 
Remington's  fine  bronze,  "  The  Bronco-buster." 
There  could  have  been  no  more  appropriate  gift 
from  such  a  regiment,  and  I  was  not  only  pleased 
with  it,  but  very  deeply  touched  with  the  feeling 
which  made  them  join  in  giving  it.  Afterward 
they  all  filed  past  and  I  shook  the  hands  of  each 
to  say  good-by. 

Most  of  them  looked  upon  the  bronze  with 
the  critical  eyes  of  professionals.  I  doubt  if 
there  was  any  regiment  in  the  world  which  con 
tained  so  large  a  number  of  men  able  to  ride  the 
wildest  and  most  dangerous  horses.  One  day 
while  at  Montauk  Point  some  of  the  troopers  of 
the  Third  Cavalry  were  getting  ready  for  mounted 
drill  when  one  of  their  horses  escaped,  having 
thrown  his  rider.  This  attracted  the  attention  of 
some  of  our  men  and  they  strolled  around  to  see 
the  trooper  remount.  He  was  instantly  thrown 
again,  the  horse,  a  huge,  vicious  sorrel,  being  one 
of  the  worst  buckers  I  ever  saw ;  and  none  of  his 
comrades  were  willing  to  ride  the  animal.  Our 
men,  of  course,  jeered  and  mocked  at  them,  and 

226 


CQ 


a 


THE   RETURN    HOME 

in  response  were  dared  to  ride  the  horse  them 
selves.  The  challenge  was  instantly  accepted,  the 
only  question  being  as  to  which  of  a  dozen  noted 
bronco-busters  who  were  in  the  ranks  should  un 
dertake  the  task.  They  finally  settled  on  a  man 
named  Darnell.  It  was  agreed  that  the  experi 
ment  should  take  place  next  day  when  the  horse 
would  be  fresh,  and  accordingly  next  day  the 
majority  of  both  regiments  turned  out  on  a  big 
open  flat  in  front  of  my  tent — brigade  head-quap 
ters.  The  result  was  that,  after  as  fine  a  bit  of 
rough  riding  as  one  would  care  to  see,  in  which 
one  scarcely  knew  whether  most  to  wonder  at  the 
extraordinary  viciousness  and  agile  strength  of 
the  horse  or  at  the  horsemanship  and  courage  of 
the  rider,  Darnell  came  off  victorious,  his  seat 
never  having  been  shaken.  After  this  almost 
every  day  we  had  exhibitions  of  bronco-busting, 
in  which  all  the  crack  riders  of  the  regiment  vied 
with  one  another,  riding  not  only  all  of  our  own 
bad  horses  but  any  horse  which  was  deemed  bad 
in  any  of  the  other  regiments. 

Darnell,  McGinty,  Wood,  Smoky  Moore,  and 
a  score  of  others  took  part  in  these  exhibitions, 
which  included  not  merely  feats  in  mastering  vi 
cious  horses,  but  also  feats  of  broken  horses  which 
the  riders  had  trained  to  lie  down  at  command,  and 
upon  which  they  could  mount  while  at  full  speed. 

227 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

Toward  the  end  of  the  time  we  also  had 
mounted  drill  on  two  or  three  occasions;  and 
when  the  President  visited  the  camp  we  turned 
out  mounted  to  receive  him  as  did  the  rest  of  the 
cavalry.  The  last  night  before  we  were  mus 
tered  out  was  spent  in  noisy,  but  entirely  harm 
less  hilarity,  which  I  ignored.  Every  form  of 
celebration  took  place  in  the  ranks.  A  former 
Populist  candidate  for  Attorney-General  in  Colo* 
rado  delivered  a  fervent  oration  in  favor  of  free 
silver;  a  number  of  the  college  boys  sang;  but 
most  of  the  men  gave  vent  to  their  feelings  by 
improvised  dances.  In  these  the  Indians  took 
the  lead,  pure  bloods  and  half-breeds  alike,  the 
cowboys  and  miners  cheerfully  joining  in  and 
forming  part  of  the  howling,  grunting  rings,  that 
went  bounding  around  the  great  fires  they  had 
kindled. 

Next  morning  Sergeant  Wright  took  down  the 
colors,  and  Sergeant  Guitilias  the  standard,  for 
the  last  time;  the  horses,  the  rifles,  and  the  rest 
of  the  regimental  property  had  been  turned  in ; 
officers  and  men  shook  hands  and  said  good-by 
to  one  another,  and  then  they  scattered  to  their 
homes  in  the  North  and  the  South,  the  few  going 
back  to  the  great  cities  of  the  East,  the  many 
turning  again  toward  the  plains,  the  mountains, 
and  the  deserts  of  the  West  and  the  strange 


Color-Sergeant  A.  P.  Wright. 


THE   RETURN    HOME 

Southwest.  This  was  on  September  15th,  the 
day  which  marked  the  close  of  the  four  months' 
life  of  a  regiment  of  as  gallant  fighters  as  ever 
wore  the  United  States  uniform. 

The  regiment  was  a  wholly  exceptional  volun 
teer  organization,  and  its  career  cannot  be  taken 
as  in  any  way  a  justification  for  the  belief  that 
the  average  volunteer  regiment  approaches  the 
average  regular  regiment  in  point  of  efficiency  un 
til  it  has  had  many  months  of  active  service.  In 
the  first  place,  though  the  regular  regiments  may 
differ  markedly  among  themselves,  yet  the  range 
of  variation  among  them  is  nothing  like  so  wide 
as  that  among  volunteer  regiments,  where  at  first 
there  is  no  common  standard  at  all ;  the  very  best 
being,  perhaps,  up  to  the  level  of  the  regulars  (as 
has  recently  been  shown  at  Manila),  while  the 
very  worst  are  no  better  than  mobs,  and  the  great 
bulk  come  in  between.*  The  average  regular 
regiment  is  superior  to  the  average  volunteer  regi 
ment  in  the  physique  of  the  enlisted  men,  who 
have  been  very  carefully  selected,  who  have  been 
trained  to  life  in  the  open,  and  who  know  how  to 
cook  and  take  care  of  themselves  generally. 

Now,  in  all  these  respects,  and  in  others  like 

*  For  sound  common-sense  about  the  volunteers  see   Parker's  ex 
cellent  little  book,  "  The  Catlings  at  Santiago." 

229 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

them,  the  Rough  Riders  were  the  equals  of  the 
regulars.  They  were  hardy,  self-reliant,  accus 
tomed  to  shift  for  themselves  in  the  open  under 
very  adverse  circumstances.  The  two  all-import 
ant  qualifications  for  a  cavalryman,  are  riding  and 
shooting — the  modern  cavalryman  being  so  often 
used  dismounted,  as  an  infantryman.  The  aver 
age  recruit  requires  a  couple  of  years  before  he 
becomes  proficient  in  horsemanship  and  marks 
manship;  but  my  men  were  already  good  shots 
and  first-class  riders  when  they  came  into  the 
regiment.  The  difference  as  regards  officers  and 
non-commissioned  officers,  between  regulars  and 
volunteers,  is  usually  very  great;  but  in  my  regi 
ment  (keeping  in  view  the  material  we  had  to 
handle),  it  was  easy  to  develop  non-commissioned 
officers  out  of  men  who  had  been  round-up  fore 
men,  ranch  foremen,  mining  bosses,  and  the  like. 
These  men  were  intelligent  and  resolute ;  they 
knew  they  had  a  great  deal  to  learn,  and  they  set 
to  work  to  learn  it;  while  they  were  already 
accustomed  to  managing  considerable  interests,  to 
obeying  orders,  and  to  taking  care  of  others  as 
well  as  themselves. 

As  for  the  officers,  the  great  point  in  our  favor 
was  the  anxiety  they  showed  to  learn  from  those 
among  their  number  who,  like  Capron,  had 
already  served  in  the  regular  army;  and  the  fact 

230 


THE   RETURN    HOME 

that  we  had  chosen  a  regular  army  man  as  Colo 
nel.  If  a  volunteer  organization  consists  of  good 
material,  and  is  eager  to  learn,  it  can  readily  do 
so  if  it  has  one  or  two  first-class  regular  officers  to 
teach  it.  Moreover,  most  of  our  captains  and 
lieutenants  were  men  who  had  seen  much  of  wild 
life,  who  were  accustomed  to  handling  and  com 
manding  other  men,  and  who  had  usually  already 
been  under  fire  as  sheriffs,  marshals,  and  the  like. 
As  for  the  second  in  command,  myself,  I  had 
served  three  years  as  captain  in  the  National 
Guard;  I  had  been  deputy  sheriff  in  the  cow 
country,  where  the  position  was  not  a  sinecure ; 
I  was  accustomed  to  big  game  hunting  and  to 
work  on  a  cow  ranch,  so  that  I  was  thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  use  both  of  horse  and  rifle, 
and  knew  how  to  handle  cowboys,  hunters,  and 
miners;  finally,  I  had  studied  much  in  the  litera 
ture  of  war,  and  especially  the  literature  of  the 
great  modern  wars,  like  our  own  Civil  War,  the 
Franco-German  War,  the  Turco-Russian  War; 
and  I  was  especially  familiar  with  the  deeds,  the 
successes  and  failures  alike,  of  the  frontier  horse 
riflemen  who  had  fought  at  King's  Mountain 
and  the  Thames,  and  on  the  Mexican  border. 
Finally,  and  most  important  of  all,  officers  and 
men  alike  were  eager  for  fighting,  and  resolute 
to  do  well  and  behave  properly,  to  encounter 

231 


THE   ROUGH    RIDERS 

hardship  and  privation,  and  the  irksome  monot 
ony  of  camp  routine,  without  grumbling  or 
complaining;  they  had  counted  the  cost  before 
they  went  in,  and  were  delighted  to  pay  the 
penalties  inevitably  attendant  upon  the  career  of 
a  fighting  regiment;  and  from  the  moment  when 
the  regiment  began  to  gather,  the  higher  officers 
kept  instilling  into  those  under  them  the  spirit  of 
eagerness  for  action  and  of  stern  determination  to 
grasp  at  death  rather  than  forfeit  honor. 

The  self-reliant  spirit  of  the  men  was  well  shown 
after  they  left  the  regiment.  Of  course,  there 
were  a  few  weaklings  among  them ;  and  there 
were  others,  entirely  brave  and  normally  self-suffi 
cient,  who,  from  wounds  or  fevers,  were  so  re 
duced  that  they  had  to  apply  for  aid — or  at  least, 
who  deserved  aid,  even  though  they  often  could 
only  be  persuaded  with  the  greatest  difficulty  to 
accept  it.  The  widows  and  orphans  had  to  be 
taken  care  of.  There  were  a  few  light-hearted 
individuals,  who  were  entirely  ready  to  fight  in 
time  of  war,  but  in  time  of  peace  felt  that  some 
body  ought  to  take  care  of  them ;  and  there  were 
others  who,  never  having  seen  any  aggregation 
of  buildings  larger  than  an  ordinary  cow-town,  fell 
a  victim  to  the  fascinations  of  New  York.  But, 
as  a  whole,  they  scattered  out  to  their  homes  on 
the  disbandment  of  the  regiment ;  gaunter  than 

232 


THE   RETURN    HOME 

when  they  had  enlisted,  sometimes  weakened  by 
fever  or  wounds,  but  just  as  full  as  ever  of  sullen, 
sturdy  capacity  for  self-help ;  scorning  to  ask  for 
aid,  save  what  was  entirely  legitimate  in  the  way 
of  one  comrade  giving  help  to  another.  A  num 
ber  of  the  examining  surgeons,  at  the  muster-out, 
spoke  to  me  with  admiration  of  the  contrast 
offered  by  our  regiment  to  so  many  others,  in  the 
fact  that  our  men  always  belittled  their  own  bod 
ily  injuries  and  sufferings ;  so  that  whereas  the  sur 
geons  ordinarily  had  to  be  on  the  look-out  lest  a 
man  who  was  not  really  disabled  should  claim  to 
be  so,  in  our  case  they  had  to  adopt  exactly  the 
opposite  attitude  and  guard  the  future  interests  of 
the  men,  by  insisting  upon  putting  upon  their 
certificates  of  discharge  whatever  disease  they  had 
contracted  or  wound  they  had  received  in  line  of 
duty.  Major  J.  H.  Calef,  who  had  more  than 
any  other  one  man  to  do  with  seeing  to  the  proper 
discharge  papers  of  our  men,  and  who  took  a  most 
generous  interest  in  them,  wrote  me  as  follows : 
" 1  also  wish  to  bring  to  your  notice  the  fortitude 
displayed  by  the  men  of  your  regiment,  who  have 
come  before  me  to  be  mustered  out  of  service,  in 
making  their  personal  declarations  as  to  their 
physical  conditions.  Men  who  bore  on  their 
faces  and  in  their  forms  the  traces  of  long  days  of 
illness,  indicating  wrecked  constitutions,  declared 

233 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

that  nothing  was  the  matter  with  them,  at  the 
same  time  disclaiming  any  intention  of  applying 
for  a  pension.  It  was  exceptionally  heroic." 

When  we  were  mustered  out,  many  of  the 
men  had  lost  their  jobs,  and  were  too  weak  to 
go  to  work  at  once,  while  there  were  helpless  de 
pendents  of  the  dead  to  care  for.  Certain  of  my 
friends,  August  Belmont,  Stanley  and  Richard 
Mortimer,  Major  Austin  Wads  worth — himself 
fresh  from  the  Manila  campaign — Belmont  Tif 
fany,  and  others,  gave  me  sums  of  money  to  be 
used  for  helping  these  men.  In  some  instances, 
by  the  exercise  of  a  good  deal  of  tact  and  by 
treating  the  gift  as  a  memorial  of  poor  young 
Lieutenant  Tiffany,  we  got  the  men  to  accept 
something;  and,  of  course,  there  were  a  number 
who,  quite  rightly,  made  no  difficulty  about  ac 
cepting.  But  most  of  the  men  would  accept  no 
help  whatever.  In  the  first  chapter,  I  spoke  of  a 
lady,  a  teacher  in  an  academy  in  the  Indian  Ter 
ritory,  three  or  four  of  whose  pupils  had  come 
into  my  regiment,  and  who  had  sent  with  them  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  me.  When  the  regi 
ment  disbanded,  I  wrote  to  her  to  ask  if  she  could 
not  use  a  little  money  among  the  Rough  Riders, 
white,  Indian,  and  half-breed,  that  she  might  per 
sonally  know.  I  did  not  hear  from  her  for  some 
time,  and  then  she  wrote  as  follows: 

234 


THE  RETURN   HOME 

"  MUSCOGEE,  IND.  TER., 
"  December  19,  1898. 

"  MY  DKAR  COLONEL  ROOSEVELT  :  I  did  not  at  once  re 
ply  to  your  letter  of  September  23d,  because  I  waited  for  a 
time  to  see  if  there  should  be  need  among  any  of  our  Rough 
Riders,  of  the  money  you  so  kindly  offered.  Some  of  the  boys 
are  poor,  and  in  one  or  two  cases  they  seemed  to  me  really  needy, 
but  they  all  said  no.  More  than  once  I  saw  the  tears  come 
to  their  eyes,  at  thought  of  your  care  for  them,  as  I  told  them 
of  your  letter.  Did  you  hear  any  echoes  of  our  Indian  war- 
whoops  over  your  election  ?  They  were  pretty  loud.  I  was 
particularly  exultant,  because  my  father  was  a  New  Yorker  and 
I  was  educated  in  New  York,  even  if  I  was  born  here.  So  far 
as  I  can  learn,  the  boys  are  taking  up  the  dropped  threads  of 
their  lives,  as  though  they  had  never  been  away.  Our  two 
Rough  Rider  students,  Meagher  and  Gilmore,  are  doing  well  in 
their  college  work. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  tell  you  of  the  death  of  one  of  your  most  de 
voted  troopers,  Bert  Holderman,  who  was  here  serving  on  the 
Grand  Jury.  He  was  stricken  with  meningitis  in  the  jury-room, 
and  died  after  three  days  of  delirium.  His  father,  who  was 
twice  wounded,  four  times  taken  prisoner,  and  fought  in  thirty- 
two  battles  of  the  civil  war,  now  old  and  feeble,  survives  him, 
and  it  was  indeed  pathetic  to  see  his  grief.  Bert's  mother,  who 
is  a  Cherokee,  was  raised  in  my  grandfather's  family.  The 
words  of  commendation  which  you  wrote  upon  Bert's  discharge 
are  the  greatest  comfort  to  his  friends.  They  wanted  you  to 
know  of  his  death,  because  he  loved  you  so. 

"lam  planning  to  entertain  all  the  Rough  Riders  in  this 
vicinity  some  evening  during  my  holiday  vacation.  I  mean  to 
have  no  other  guests,  but  only  give  them  an  opportunity  for 
reminiscences.  I  regret  that  Bert's  death  makes  one  less.  J 

235 


THE   ROUGH   RIDERS 

had  hoped  to  have  them  sooner,  but  our  struggling  young  tol- 
lege  salaries  are  necessarily  small  and  duties  arduous.  I  make 
a  home  for  my  widowed  mother  and  an  adopted  Indian  daugh 
ter,  who  is  in  school  ;  and  as  I  do  the  cooking  for  a  family  of 
five,  I  have  found  it  impossible  to  do  many  things  I  would  like 
to. 

"  Pardon  me  for  burdening  you  with  these  details,  but  I  sup 
pose  I  am  like  your  boys,  who  say,  '  The  Colonel  was  always 
as  ready  to  listen  to  a  private  as  to  a  major-general.* 

"  Wishing  you  and  yours  the  very  best  gifts  the  season  can 
bring,  I  am, 

•*  Very  truly  yours, 

"  ALICE  M.  ROBERTSON.'1 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  I  loved  my  regiment? 


APPENDICES 


APPENDIX  A 

MUSTER-OUT  ROLL 

[Owing  to  the  circumstances  of  the  regiment's  service, 
the  paperwork  was  very  difficult  to  perform.  This  muster- 
out  roll  is  very  defective  in  certain  points,  notably  in  the 
enumeration  of  the  wounded  who  had  been  able  to  return 
to  duty.  Some  of  the  dead  are  also  undoubtedly  passed 
over.  Thus  I  have  put  in  Race  Smith,  Sanders,  and 
Tiffany  as  dead,  correcting  the  rolls  ;  but  there  are  doubt 
less  a  number  of  similar  corrections  which  should  be  made 
but  have  not  been,  as  the  regiment  is  now  scattered  far  and 
wide.  I  have  also  corrected  the  record  for  the  wounded 
men  in  one  or  two  places  where  I  happen  to  remember  it ; 
but  there  are  a  number  of  the  wounded,  especially  the 
slightly  wounded,  who  are  not  down  at  all.] 


238 


MUSTER-OUT   ROLL 


FIELD,    STAFF,    AND    BAND. 

Theodore  Roosevelt.  .Colonel New  York,  N.  Y. 

Alexander  O.  Brodie.  .Lieut.  Colonel . .  .Prescott,  Ariz. 

Henry  B.  Hersey Major Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

George  M.  Dunn ....  Major Denver,  Col. 

Micah  J.  Jenkins Major Youngs  Is.,  S.  C. 

Henry  A.  Brown Chaplain Prescott,  Ariz. 

Maxwell  Keyes ist  Lt.  &  Adjt. . .  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Sherrard  Coleman ist  Lt.  &  Q.  M.   Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Ernest  Seeker Sergt.  Major Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Matthew  Douthett.  ...Q.  M.  Sergeant  .Denver,  Col. 

Clay  Platt Cf.  Trumpeter. . .  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Joseph  F.  Kansky Sad.  Sergeant. .  .Tacoma,  Wash. 

Leonard  Wood Colonel Cape  Cod,  Mass. 

Promoted,  July  9,  1898,  to  Brig. -Gen.  of  U.  S.  Vols. 

Thomas  W.  Hall ist  Lieut.  &  Adjt. 

Tendered  his  resignation  as  ist   Lieut,  and  Adjt.,  which  took  effect 

Aug.  i,  1898,  in  compliance  with  S.  O.  No.  175,  O.  G.  O.,  dated  July 

29,  1898. 

Jacob  Schwaizer ist  Lt.  &  Q.  M . . El  Reno,  O.  T. 

Resigned  his  commission   as  ist  Lieut.,  Aug.  4,  1898.     Resignation 
took  effect  Sept.  7,  1898. 

Joseph  A.  Carr Sergt.  Major  . .   Washington,  D.  C. 

Discharged  at  San  Antonio,  Texas,  by  way  of  favor  to  enable  him  to 
accept  a  commission  as  ist  Lieut,  in  the  Regiment,  May  19,  1898. 

Christian  Madsen R.  Q.  M.  Sergt . .  El  Reno.  O.  T. 

Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  at  Camp  Wikoff,  L. 
I.,  Aug.  26,  1898. 

Alfred  E.  Lewis R.  Q.  M.  Sergt. 

Deserted  from  Camp  at  San~Antonio,  Tex.,  on  or  about  May  5, 1898. 
Ernest  Haskell Cadet West  Point. 

Acted  with  regiment  as  second  lieutenant.     Dangerously  wounded  by 
Mauser  bullet,  July  ist. 


THE  HOSPITAL  CORPS. 

Henry  La  Motte Major Williamsburg,  Mass. 

James  A.  Massie ist  Lieutenant. .  .Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

*James  R.  Church  ...  ist  Lieutenant . .  .Washington,  D.  C. 

James  B.  Brady Steward Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Herbert  J.  Rankin Steward Las  Vegas,  N.  M. 

Charles  A.  Wilson. . . .  Steward Colorado  Springs,  Col. 

John  R.  Rawdin Private. 

*  Acted  as  Regimental  Surgeon  during  most  of  the  campaign. 

239 


APPENDIX  A 

TROOP  A. 
CAPTAIN  FRANK  FRANTZ. 

Frank  Frantz Captain Prescott,  Ariz. 

John  C.  Greenway ist  Lieutenant Hot  Springs,  Ark. 

Joshua  D.  Carter 2d  Lieutenant Prescott,  Ariz. 

William  W.  Greenwood ist  Sergeant .  . .  .Prescott,  Ariz. 

Shot  in  left  foot  and  leg  in  battle,  July  i,  1898.     Engaged  in  battles  of  Las  Guasimas, 

June  24th  ;    San  Juan,  July  ist. 
James  T.  Greenley Sergeant Prescott.  Ariz. 

Wounded  in  leg,  July  i,  1898.  Engaged  in  battles  of  Las  Guasimas,  June  24th;  San 
Juan,  July  ist;  and  siege  of  Santiago  following. 

King  C.Henley Q.  M.  Sergeant Winslow,  Ariz. 

Henry  W.  Nash . .  Sergeant Young,  Ariz. 

Samuel  H.  Rhodes Sergeant Tonto  Basin,  Ariz. 

Robert  Brown Sergeant Prescott,  Ariz. 

Charles  E.  McGarr Sergeant Prescott,  Ariz. 

Carl  Holtzschue Sergeant Prescott,  Ariz. 

George  L.  Bugbee Corporal Lordsburg,  N.  M. 

Harry  G.  White Corporal Richenbar,  Ariz. 

Absent  from  July  2,  1898,  in  Governor's  Island,  N.  Y.,  Hospital,  on  account  of 
wound  in  leg,  received  on  July  2,  1898.  Engaged  in  battles  of  Las  Guasimas, 
June  24,  1898;  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898. 

Cade  C.  Jackson Corporal Flagstaff,  Ariz. 

Harry  B.  Fox Corporal Jerome,  Ariz. 

William  Cranfurd Corporal San  Antonio,  Tex. 

George  A.  McCarter Corporal t .  -  .Safford,  Ariz. 

Rufus  H.  Marine Corporal Flagstaff,  Ariz. 

John  D.  Honeyman Corporal San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Emilio  Cassi Trumpeter Jerome,  Ariz. 

Wounded  in  hand  on  July  2,  1898. 

Frank  Harner Trumpeter Preston,  Ariz. 

Thomas  Hamilton Blacksmith Jerome,  Ariz. 

Wallace  B.  Willard Farrier Cottonwood,  Ariz. 

Forest  Whitney Saddler Richenbar,  Ariz. 

John  H.  Waller Wagoner Prescott,  Ariz. 

Wounded  in  left  arm  in  battle  of  July  i,  1898.  Engaged  in  Las  Guasimas,  June  24, 
1898  ;  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898;  and  siege  of  Santiago  following. 

TROOPERS. 

Adams,  Ralph  R.,  Yonkers,  N.  Y.  Bulzing,  William,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Allen,  George  L.,  Prescott,  Ariz.  Burke,  Edward  F.,  Orange,  N.  J. 

Azbill,  John,  St.  John's,  Ariz.  Bardshar,  Henry  P.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 

Azbill,  William,  St.  John's,  Ariz.  Church,  Leroy  B.,  Ithaca,  Mich. 

Arnold,  Henry  N. ,  New  York  City  Curtis,  Harry  A.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Barnard,  John  C.,  New  York  City  Freeman,  Thomas  L.,  Thurber,  Tex. 

Bartoo,  Nelson  E. ,  Winslow,  Ariz.  Griffen,  Walter  W. ,  Globe,  Ariz. 

Belknap,  Prescott  H.  Boston,  Brook-  Glover,  William  H.,  Liberty,  Tex. 

line,  Mass.  Hawes,  George  P.,  Jr.,   Richmond, 
Brauer,  Lee  W.,  Richmond,  Va.  Va. 

Bugbee,  Fred.  W. ,  Lordsburg,  N.  M.  Haymon,  Edward  G.  B. ,  Chicago,  111. 

Wounded  in  head  in  battle  of  San  Juan,  Huffman,  Lawrence  E. ,  Las  Cruces, 

July  i,  1898.     Slight.     Mauser  rifle.  Mex. 

Bull,  Charles  C.,  San  Francisco.  Cal.  Hoffman,  Fred.,  Pueblo,  Col. 

240 


MUSTER-OUT    ROLL 


Hodgdon,  Charles  E.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 
Hogan,  Daniel  L.,  Flagstaff,  Ariz. 
Howard,  John  L. .  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Hubbell,  John  D.,  Boston,  Mass 
Jackson,  Charles  B. ,  Frescott,  Ariz. 

Wounded  in  neck  at  battle  of  San  Juan, 
July  i,  1898.  Nature  of  injury  slight. 
Mauser  rifle. 

Johnson,  John  W.,  Kingman,  Ariz. 
Lefors,  Jefferson  D.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 
Lewis,  William  F. ,  Congress,  Ariz. 
Larned,  William  A.,  Summit,  N.  J. 
Le  Roy,  Arthur  M.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 
May,  James  A.,  Safford,  Ariz. 
McCarty,  Frank,  Flagstaff,  Ariz. 
Mills,  Charles  E.   Cedar  Rapids,  la. 
Murchie,  Guy,  Calais,  Me. 
Osborne,  George,   Bungendera,   N. 

S.  W.,  Australia 
O'Brien,  Edward,  Jerome,  Ariz. 

Wounded  in  head,  by  shrapnel,  morning 

of  July  2,  1898. 

Page,  William,  Richenbar,  Ariz. 
Perry,  Charles  B. ,  Perry's  Landing, 

Tex. 

Shot  in  head,  July  2,  1898.     Severe. 
Paxton,  Frank,  Safford,  Ariz. 
Pearsall,  Paul  S.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Pettit,  Louis  P.,  Flagstaff,  Ariz. 


Philip,  Hoffman,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Pierce,  Harry  B.,  Central  City, 
N.  M. 

Raudebaugh,  James  D.,  Flagstaff, 
Ariz. 

Rapp,  Adolph,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Sells,  Henry,  Flagstaff,  Ariz. 

Sellers,  Henry  J.,  Williams,  Ariz. 

Sewall,  Henry  K,  New  York,  N.  Y 

Shaw,  James  A.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 

Shanks,  Lee  P.,  Paducah,  Ky. 

Stark,  Wallace  J.,  Safford,  Ariz. 

Sullivan,  Patrick  J.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 

Thomas,  Rufus  K.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Thomson,  Joseph  F.,  Jr.,  Washing 
ton,  D.  C. 

Tuttle,  Arthur  L. ,  Safford,  Ariz. 

Van  Siclen,  Frank,  Safford,  Ariz. 

Wager,  Oscar  G.,  Jerome,  Ariz. 

Wallace,  Walter  D.,  Flagstaff,  Ariz. 

Wallace,  William  F.,  Flagstaff,  Ariz. 
Wounded  in  neck  in  battle  of  San  Juan, 
July  i,  1898. 

Wayland,  Thomas  J.,  Williams, 
Ariz. 

Webb,  Adelbert  B. ,  Safford,  Ariz. 

Weil,  Henry  J.,  Kingman,  Ariz. 

Wilson,  Jerome,  Chloride,  Ariz. 

Wrenn,  Robert  D.,  Chicago,  III 


DISCHARGED. 

Garret,  Samuel  H Prescott,  Ariz. 

Honorably  discharged  the  service  by  order  of  A.  G.  O.     Special  Order  No.  14,  Aug. 

24,  1898. 

Greenwald,  Sam Prescott,  Ariz. 

Discharged  by  authority  of  Secretary  of  War,  at  Camp  Wikoff,  Aug.  31/1898. 

McCormick,  Willis Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

Honorably  discharged  the  service,  Aug.  23,  1898.     By  order  Secretary  of  W'ar. 

KILLED  IN  ACTION. 

O'Neill,  William  O   Captain Prescott,  Ariz. 

Engaged  and  killed  in  battle  of  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898,  by  gunshot  wound  in  the 
head. 

Doherty,  George  H Corporal Jerome,  Ariz. 

Engaged  and  killed  in  battle  of  Las  Guasimas,  June  24.  1898,  by  bullet  wound  in 
the  head. 

Boyle,  James  .   Private Prescott,  Ariz. 

Engaged  in  and  mortally  wounded  at  battle  of  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898;  shot  through 
neck  and  body  ;  died  July  2,  1898. 

Champlin,  Fred  E Private Flagstaff,  Ariz. 

Engaged  in  battle  of  Las  Guasimas,  June  24,  1898,  and  battle  of  San  Juan,  July  i, 
1898,  where  he  was  mortally  wounded.  Died,  July  2,  1898  ;  shot  in  leg  and  foot 
by  shrapnel  and  arm  torn  off  by  shell.  Left  thigh  and  hand. 

Liggett,  Edward Private Jerome,  Ariz. 

Engaged  and  killed  in  battle  of  Las  Guasimas,  June  24,  1898;  shot  through  the  body. 

241 


APPENDIX  A 

Reynolds,  Lewis Private Kingman,  Ariz. 

Engaged  in  battle  of  Las  Guasimas,  June  24,  1898,  and  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898. 
Killed  on  July  i,  1898 ;  shot  through  the  stomach. 

DIED   OF  DISEASE. 

Hollister,  Stanley Private Santa  Barbara,  Cal. 

Wounded  in  left  thigh  in  battle,  July  2,   1898  ;  severe.     Died  of  typhoid  fever  in 
general  U.  S.  Hospital,  Fortress  Monroe,  Va.,  Aug.  17,  1898. 

Wallace,  Alexander  H Private Pasadena,  Cal. 

Died  of  typhoid  fever  at  St.  Peter's  Hospital,  Brooklyn,  Aug.  31,  1898. 

Walsh,  George Private San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Died  at  sea,  aboard  S.  S.  Miami,  Aug.   n,  1898,  of  chronic  dysentery;  buried  at 
sea,  Aug.  12,  1898. 

SUICIDE. 

De  Vol,  Harry  P San  Antonio,  Tex. 

While  in  Guard- House,  Camp  Wikoff,  died  of  self-inflicted  wound  in  the  head. 

DESERTER. 

Jackson,  John  W Private .Jerome,  Ariz. 

Deserted  the  service  at  Tampa,  Fla.,  July  7,  1898. 


TROOP  B. 
CAPTAIN  JAMES  H.  MCCLINTOCK. 

Tames  H.  McClintock Captain Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Wounded  at  battle  of  Las  Guasimas,  June  24,  1898.     Wounded  in  left  ankle. 

George  B.  Wilcox ist  Lieutenant —  Prescott,  Ariz. 

Thomas  H    Rymning 2d  Lieutenant Tucson,  Ariz. 

William  A.    Davidson ist  Sergeant Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Stephen  A.  Pate Q.  M.  Sergeant  ..Tucson,  Ariz. 

Wounded  in  right  lung  before  Santiago  de  Cuba,  July  i,  1898. 

Elmer  Hawley Sergeant Phoenix,  Ariz. 

John  E.  Campbell Sergeant Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Charles  H.  Utling Sergeant Phcenix,  Ariz. 

Edward  G.    Norton Sergeant Phoenix,  Ariz. 

David  L.  Hughes Sergeant Tucson,  Ariz. 

Wounded  in  head,  July  i,  1898,  at  battle  before  Santiago  de  Cuba. 
Jerry  F.  Lee Sergeant Globe,  Ariz. 

Shot  in  head  before  Santiago  de  Cuba,  July  i,  1898. 

Eugene  W.  Waterbury Corporal Tucson,  Ariz. 

Walter  T.  Gregory Corporal Phcenix,  Ariz. 

Thomas  W.  Pemberton,  Jr Corporal Phcenix,  Ariz. 

George  J.    McCabe Corporal Bisbee,  Ariz. 

Calvin  McCarthy Corporal Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Charles  E.  Heitman Corporal Phcenix,  Ariz. 

Frank  Ward   Corporal Globe,  Ariz. 

Dudly  S.  Dean Corporal Boston,  Mass. 

John  Foster Bugler Bisbee,  Ariz. 

Jesse  Walters Bugler Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Frank  W.  Harmson Farrier Tucson,  Ariz. 

Fred  A.  Pomeroy Blacksmith Kingman,  Ariz 

Joseph  E.  McGinty Wagoner Tucson,  Ariz. 

Richard  E.  Goodwin Saddler Phoenix,  Ariz. 

242 


MUSTER-OUT   ROLL 


TROOPERS. 


Boggs,  Looney  L.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Buckholdt,  Chas. ,  Kickapoo  Springs, 
Tex. 

Beebe,  Walter  S. ,  Prescott,  Ariz. 

Brady,  Fred  L.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Butler,  James  A.  .Albuquerque,  N.  M. 

Barrowe,  Beekman  K. ,  Tampa,  Fla. 

Colwell,  Grant,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Collier,  Edward  G.,  Globe,  Ariz. 

Chester,  Will  M.,  Oakwell,  Tex. 

Christian,  Benjamin,  Norfolk,  Va. 

Chamberlin,    Lowell  A.,   Washing 
ton,  D.  C. 

Day,  Robert,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Drachman,  Sol.  B. ,  Tucson,  Ariz. 

Draper,  Durward  D.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Eakin,  Alva  L.,  Globe,  Ariz. 

Eads,  Wade  Q.,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Fitzgerald,  Frank  T.,  Tucson,  Ariz. 

Goss,  Conrad  F.,  Tampa,  Fla. 

Gurney,  Frank  W.,  Tampa,  Fla. 

Hall,  John  M.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Wounded  in  shoulder  by  shrapnel,  July 
i,    1898,    before    Santiago    de    Cuba. 
Piece  of  shell  not  removed. 

Hammer,  John  S.,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Slightly  wounded  by  shell,  July  i,  1898, 
before  Santiago  de  Cuba.  Wounded 
in  leg. 

Hildreth,  Fenn  S.,  Tucson,  Ariz. 

Hartzell,  Ira  C.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Haydon,  Roy  F.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 

Henderson,  Sibird,  Globe,  Ariz. 

Hildebrand,  Louis  T.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 

Hey  wood,  John  P.,  Tampa,  Fla. 

James,  William  T. ,  Jerome,  Ariz. 

Johnson,  Anton  E. ,  Prescott,  Ariz. 

King,  Geo.  C.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 

Keir,  Alex.  S.,  Bisbee,  Ariz. 

Laird,  Thomas  J.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 

Merritt,  Fred  M.,  Tucson,  Ariz. 

Merritt,  William  W.,  Red  Oak,  la. 

McCann,  Walter  J.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Iron  stanchion  fell  upon  right   side   of 
head,  right   arm  -and  shoulder,  while 
asleep  in  quarters  on  transport  Yuca 
tan,  en  route  for  Cuba,  June  21,  1898. 


Middleton,  Clifton  C,  Globe,  Ariz. 
Misner,  Jackson  H.,  Bisbee,  Ariz 
McMillen,   Albert   C.,    New    York, 

N.  Y. 

Norton,  Gould  G.,  Tampa,  Fla 
Orme,  Norman  L.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Shot  in  left  arm  and  side,  June  24,  1898, 
at  Las  Guasimas.     G.  S.  left  shoulder. 
Owens,  William  A.,  Jerome,  Ariz. 
Proffitt,  William  B.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 
Peck,  John  C.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Pollock,  Horatio  C.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Patterson,  Hal.  A.,  Selma,  Ala. 
Roberts,    Frank    S.,     San  Antonio, 

Tex. 

Rinehart,  Robert,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Stanton,  Richard  H.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Saunders,    Wellman    H. ,    Salem, 

Mass. 

Snodderly,  William  L.,  Bisbee,  Ariz. 
Smith,  Race  H.,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Shot  in  stomach,  breast,  and  arms  by 
shrapnel,  July  2,  1898,  before  San 
tiago. 

Schenck,  Frank  W.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Stewart,  W.  Walton,  Selma,  Ala. 
Toland,  Jesse  T.,  Bisbee,  Ariz. 
Truman,  George  E.,  San  Antonio, 

Tex. 

Townsend,  Albert  B.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 
Tilkie,  Charles  M.,  Chicago,  111. 
Van  Treese,  Louis  H.,  Tucson,  Ariz. 
Warford,  David  E.,  Globe,  Ariz. 

Shot  in  both  thighs,  July  i,  1898,  before 
Santiago  de  Cuba. 

Webb,  William  W.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 
Wiggins,  Thomas  W. ,  Bisbee,  Ariz. 
Shot  in  right  hip  at  Las  Guasimas,  June 
24,  1898.     G.  S.  left  hip. 

Whittaker,  George  C.,  Silver  City, 

N.  M. 
Wilkerson,  Wallace  W.,  Santa  Fe, 

N.  M. 
Woodward,    Sidney   H.,   Kingman, 

Ariz. 
Young,  Thomas  H. ,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 


DISCHARGED. 

Bird,  Marshall  M California. 

Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability.     Fracture  of  skull  and  concussion 

of  brain  incurred  in  line  of  duty,  Aug.  8,  1898. 
Cronin,  Cornelius  P Yuma,  Ariz. 

Discharged,  June  13,  1898,  on  Surgeon's  certificate. 

243 


APPENDIX  A 


Crimmins,  Martin  L New  York,  N.  Y. 

Mustered  out  to  accept  commission,  July  29,  1898. 
Goodrich,  David  M Akron,  O. 

Discharged,  May  19,  1898,  to  accept  commission. 
Murphy,  James  E Delrio,  Ariz. 

Discharged,  Sept.  ioth,  by  order  of  Secretary  of  War.  Shot  in  head,  July  i,  1898, 
before  Santiago  de  Cuba. 

DIED. 

Hall,  Joel  R Corporal Seattle,  Wash. 

Killed,  July  i,  1898,  before  Santiago  de  Cuba;  buried  on  field  of  battle. 
Logue,  David Globe,  Ariz. 

Killed,  July  i,  1898,  before  Santiago  de  Cuba;  buried  on  field  of  battle. 
Norton,  Oliver  B 

Killed,  July  i,  1898,  before  Santiago  de  Cuba  ;  buried  on  field  of  battle. 
Saunders,  W.  H Salem,  Mass. 

Died  of  fever  at  Santiago. 
Smith,  Race  W San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Died  of  wounds  received  July  2,  1898. 
Swetman,  John  W Globe,  Ariz. 

Killed,  July  i,  1898,  before  Santiago  de  Cuba;  buried  on  field  of  battle. 
Tomlinson,  Leroy  E 

Sent  to  hospital  boat,  June  19,  1898,  en  route  to  Cuba;  fever.  Certificate  of  death 
dated  June  23,  1898.  Body  and  effects  sent  ashore,  care  Capt.  Stephens,  Signal 
Corps,  U.  S.  A.  Typhoid  fever  contracted  in  line  of  duty. 


TROOP   C. 
CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  L.  B.  ALEXANDER. 

Joseph  L.  B.  Alexander Captain Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Robert  S.  Patterson ist  Lieutenant  .  .Safford,  Ariz. 

Hal  Sayre,  Jr 2d  Lieutenant. . .  Denver,  Col. 

Willis  O.  Huson ist  Sergeant Yuma,  Ariz. 

James  H.  Maxey Q.  M.  Sergeant.  Yuma,  Ariz. 

Sam  W.  Noyes Sergeant Tucson,  Ariz. 

Adam  H.  Klingham Sergeant Flagstaff,  Ariz. 

Sumner  H.  Gerard Sergeant New  York,  N.  Y. 

John  McAndrew Sergeant Congress  Junction,  Ariz. 

Eldridge  E.Jordan Sergeant Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Wilbur  D.  French Corporal Safford,  Ariz. 

Hedrick  M.  Warren Corporal Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Bruce  C.  Weathers Corporal Safford,  Ariz. 

Frank  A.  Woodin Corporal Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Charles  A.  Armstrong Corporal San  Jose,  Cal. 

Elisha  E.  Garrison Corporal New  York,  N.  Y. 

William  T.  Atkins Corporal Selma,  Ala. 

Oscar  J.  Mullen Corporal Tempe,  Ariz. 

Frank  Marti    Trumpeter Jerome,  Ariz. 

J~ohn  A.  W.  Stelzriede Trumpeter Tempe,  Ariz. 

James  G.  Yost Blacksmith Prescott,  Ariz. 

Frank  Vans  Agnew Farrier Kissimee,  Fla. 

Francis  L.  Morgan Saddler White  Hills,  Ariz. 

Jerome  W.  Lankford Wagoner White  Hills,  Ariz. 

244 


MUSTER-OUT   ROLL 


TROOPERS. 


Asay,  William,  Safford,  Ariz. 
Anderson,  Thomas  A.,  San  Antonio, 

Tex. 

Barthell,  Peter  K. ,  Kingman,  Ariz. 
Bradley,  Peter,  Jerome,  Ariz. 
Burks,  Robert  E. ,  Prescott,  Ariz. 
Byrns,  Orlando  C.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 
Bowler,  George  P.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Carleton,  William  C. ,  Tempe,  Ariz. 
Carlson,  Carl,  Tempe,  Ariz. 
Cartledge,  Crantz,  Tempe,  Ariz. 
Coleman.Lockhart  G.,St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Danforth,  Clyde  L.,  Flagstaff,  Ariz. 
Danforth,  Wm.  H.,  Flagstaff,  Ariz. 
Dewees,  John  L. ,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
Duncan,  Arthur  G. ,  New  York. 
Engel,  Edwin  P.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Force,  Peter,  Selma,  Ala. 
Gaughan,  James,    Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Gibbins,  Floyd  J'.,  Prescott,  Ariz. 
Goodwin,  James  C.,  Tempe,  Ariz. 
Gardiner,  John  P. ,  Boston,  Mass. 
Gavin,  Anthony,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
Hanson,  Ivan  M.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Hanson,  William,  Prescott,  Ariz. 
Herold,  Philip  M.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Howland,  Harry,  Flagstaff.  Ariz. 
Hubbell,  William  C.,  Nogales,  Ariz. 
Hall,  Edward  C.,  New  Haven,  Conn. 
Kastens,  Harry  E. ,  Winslow,  Ariz. 


Marvin,  William  E.,  Yuma,  Ariz. 
Mason,  David  P.,  Brownsville,  Tex. 
Moffett,  Edward  B.,  Yuma,  Ariz. 
Neville,  George  A.,  Yuma,  Ariz. 
Norton,  John  W.,  Lockport,  111. 
O'Leary,  Daniel,  Tempe,  Ariz. 
Parker,  John  W. ,  Safford,  Ariz. 
Payne,  Forest  B. ,  Phcenix,  Ariz. 
Pond,  Ashley,  Detroit,  Mich. 
Perry,  Arthur  R. .Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Ricketts,  William  L.,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Roederer,  John,  Prescott,  Ariz. 
Rupert,  Charles  W. ,   Prescott,  Ariz. 
Reed,  George  W.,  Tucson,  Ariz. 
Sayers,  Samuel  E.,  Yuma,  Ariz. 
Scharf,  Charles  A. ,  Flagstaff,  Ariz. 
Sexsmith,  William,  Yuma,  Ariz. 
Shackelford,    Marcus    L.,    Jerome, 

Ariz. 

Shoemaker,  John,  Phcenix,  Ariz. 
Skogsburg,  Charles  G. ,  Safford,  Ariz. 
Scull,  Guy  H.,  Boston,  Mass. 
Sloan,  Thomas  H.,  Phcenix,  Ariz. 
Somers,  Fred  B.,  Flagstaff,  Ariz. 
Trowbridge,     Lafayette,      Prescott, 

Ariz. 

Vines,  Jesse  G.,  Phcenix,  Ariz. 
Vance,  William  E.,  Austin,  Tex. 
Wormell,  John  A.,  Phcenix,  Ariz. 
Younger,  Charles,  Winslow,  Ariz. 


Wright,  Albert  P Color  Sergeant  * Yuma,  Ariz. 

DIS  CHA  R  GED— Disability . 

Alamia,  John  B Private Port  Isabel,  Tex. 

Discharged,  account  epileptic  fits,  per  order  O.  A.  G.  O. 
Pearson,  Rufus  W Sergeant Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Discharged,  Aug.  26,  1898,  on  certificate  of  discharge  signed  by  Secretary  of  War 
General  Alger. 

DISCHARGED   BY  ORDER. 

Grindell,  Thomas  F Sergeant Tempe,  Ariz. 

Discharged  by  telegraph  order  A.  G.  O.,  Sept.  8,  1898. 
Hill,  Wesley Private Tempe,  Ariz. 

Discharged  by  telegraph  order  A.  G.  O.,  Sept.  8,  1898. 
Scudder,  William  M Private Chicago,  111. 

Discharged   per  special  order  204,  par.  52,  War  Department,  A.  G.  O.,  Washing 
ton,  D.  C.,  Aug.  30,  1898. 
Wallack,  Robt.  R Private Washington. 

Discharged,  July  19,    1898.  per  par.  27,   S.   O.  203,   War  Department,  A.  G.  O., 
,  D.  C.,  Aug.  29,  1898,  being  appointed  2d  Lieutenant  for  Regular 


Washington, 

Army. 


*  Color  Sergeant  of  Regiment. 
245 


APPENDIX  A 

TRANSFERRED. 

Rowdin,  John  E Private Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Transferred,  June  8,  1898,  per  R.  O.  No.  6,  dated  Tampa,  Fla.,  June  8,  1898. 

DIED. 

Adsit,  NathanielB Private Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Died,  Aug.  ist,  at  Buffalo,  of  typhoid  fever. 
Clearwater,  Frank  H Private Brownsville,  Tex. 

Died  at  Corpus  Christi,  Sept.  2,  1898,  of  typhoid  malaria. 
Newnhone,  Thomas  M Private Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Died  at  hospital  Fort  McPherson,  of  typhoid  fever,  Aug.  4,  1898. 


TROOP   D. 
CAPTAIN  R.  B.  HUSTON. 

Robert  B.  Huston Captain Guthrie,  O.  T. 

David  M.  Goodrich ist  Lieutenant Akron,  Ohio. 

Robert  H.  M.  Ferguson ad  Lieutenant.  .'.,   New  York  City. 

Orlando  G.  Palmer ist  Sergeant Ponco  City,  O.  T. 

Gerald  A.  Webb  Sergeant Guthrie,  O.  T. 

Joseph  A.  Randolph Sergeant Waukomis,  O.  T. 

Ira  A.  Hill Sergeant Newkirk,  O.  T. 

Charles  E.  Hunter Sergeant Enid,  O.  T. 

Scott  Reay Sergeant Blackwell,  O.  T. 

Paul  W.  Hunter Sergeant Chandler,  O.  T. 

Thomas  Moran Sergeant Fort  Sill,  O.  T. 

Calvin  Hill Corporal Pawnee,  O.  T. 

George  Norris Corporal Kingfisher,  O.  T. 

John  D.  Roades Corporal Hennessey,  O.  T. 

Wounded  in  battle  of  Las  Guasimas,  June  24,  1898.     G.  S.  leg. 

Lyman  F.  Beard Corporal Shawnee,  O.  T. 

Henry  Meagher Corporal El  Reno,  O.  T. 

Wounded  in  the  battle  before  Santiago,  July  i,  1898.     Both  shoulders. 
Alexander  H.  Denham Corporal Oklahoma  City,  O.  T. 

Wounded  in  battle  of  Las  Guasimas,  June  24,  1898.     G.  S.  left  thigh. 

Henry  K.  Love Corporal Tecumseh,  O.  T. 

Harrison  J.  Holt Corporal Denver,  Col. 

William  D.  Amrine Saddler Newkirk,  O.  T. 

Starr  W.  Wetmore Trumpeter Newkirk,  O.  T. 

Wounded  in  battle  before  Santiago,  July  i,  1898.     Right  thigh,  severe.     Missile 
or  weapon,  Mauser  rifle. 

James  T.  Brown Trumpeter Newkirk,  O.  T. 

Lorrin  D.  Muxlow Wagoner Guthrie,  O.  T. 

TROOPERS. 

Baily,  William,  Norman,  O.  T.  Burgess,  George,  Shawnee,  O.  T. 

Wounded  in  battle  before  Santiago,  Brandon,  Perry  H.  .Lancaster, O.T. 

July  2,  1898.     Right  foot.     Missile  Byrne,  Peter  F. ,  Guthrie,  O.  T. 

or  weapon,  Mauser  rifle.  Cease,  Forrest  L.,  Guthrie,  O.  T. 

Beal,  Fred  N.,  Kingfisher,  O.  T.  Chase,  Leslie  C.,  Kingfisher,  O.  T. 

Wounded  in  battle  of  Las  Guasimas,  Cook,  Walter  M.,  Enid,  O.  T. 

June  24,  1898.    G.  S.  leg.  Crawford,  William  S. ,  Enid,  O.  T. 

246 


MUSTER-OUT    ROLL 


Cross,  William  E.,  El  Reno,  O.  T. 
Crockett,  Warren  E.,  Marietta,  Ga. 
Wounded    in    battle    before    Santiago, 

July  2,  1898.    Leg.  Missile  or  weapon, 

Mauser  rifle. 

Cunningham,  Solomon  M.,  San  An 
tonio,  Tex. 

Carlow,  Gerald,  Boerne,  Tex. 
David,  Icem  J.,  Enid,  O.  T. 
Emery,  Elzie  E. ,  Shawnee,  O.  T. 
Faulk,  William  A.,  Guthrie,  O.  T. 
Hill,  Edwin  M. ,  Tecumseh.  O.  T. 
Honeycutt,  James  V.,  Shawnee,  O. 

Eppley,  Kurtz,  Orange,  N.  J. 
Green,    Charles    H.,   Albuquerque, 

N.  M. 

Hatch,  Charles  P.,  Newport.  R.  I. 
Holmes,  Thomas  M. ,  Newkirk,  O.  T. 
Wounded    in    battle    before    Santiago, 
July    i,     1898.       Left     leg,     severe. 
Missile  or  weapon,  Mauser  rifle. 

Haynes,  Jacob  M.,  Newkirk.  O.  T. 
Howard,  John  S.,  Boerne,  Tex. 
Ishler,  Shelby  F.,  Enid,  O.  T. 

Wounded   in    battle   of   Las  Guasimas, 
June  24,  1898,     G.  S.  right  forearm. 

Ivy,  Charles  B. ,  Waco,  Tex. 
Johnston,  Edward  W.,  Gushing,  O. 

Wounded    in    battle    before    Santiago, 

July  i,  1898.     Right  thigh. 
Joyce,  Walter,  Guthrie,  O.  T. 
Knox,  William  F. 
Laird,    Emmett,   Albuquerque,    N. 

M. 
Loughmiller,    Edgar   F. ,  Oklahoma 

City,  O.  T. 

Lovelace,  Carl,  Waco,  Tex. 
Lush,  Henry,  El  Reno,  O.  T. 


McMillan,    Robert  L. ,  Shawnee,  O, 

T. 

Wounded    in    battle    before    Santiago, 
July    i,     1898.       Left    shoulder    and 
arm. 
McClure,  David  V.,  Oklahoma  City, 

O.  T. 
McMurtry,    George    G.,    Pittsburg, 

Pa. 

Miller,  Roscoe  B.,  Guthrie,  O.  T. 
Miller,  Volney  D. ,  Guthrie.  O.  T. 
Munn,  Edward,  Elizabeth,  N.  J. 
Newcomb,  Marcellus  L.,  Kingfisher, 

O.  T. 

Wounded    in   battle  of   Las   Guasimas, 

June  24,  1898.     G.  S.  right  knee. 
Norris,  Warren,  Kingfisher,  O.  T. 
Palmer,  William  F.,  Shawnee,  O.  T. 
Proctor,  Joseph  H.,  Pawnee.  O.  T. 
Pollock,  William,  Pawnee,  O.  T. 
Russell.  Albert  P.,  El  Reno,  O.  T. 
Sands,  George  H.,  Guthrie,  O.  T. 
Schmutz,    John     C. ,     Germantown, 

Ohio. 

Scott,  Cliff  D.,  Clifton,  O.  T. 
Schupp,  Eugene,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Shanafelt   Dick,  Perry,  O.  T. 
Shipp,  Edward  M.,  Kingfisher,  O.  T. 
Stewart,  Clare  H..  Pawnee,  O.  T. 
Stewart,  Clyde  H.,  Pawnee,  O.  T. 
Tauer,   William  L.,  Ponca  City,  O. 

T. 

Thomas,  Albert  M.,  Guthrie,  O.  T. 
Vanderslice,  James  E. ,  Enid,  O.  T. 
Van  Valen,  Alexander  L.,  Pough- 

keepsie,  N.  Y. 
Wolff,  Frederick  W.,  San  Antonio. 

Tex. 

Wright,  William  O.,  Pawnee,  O.  T. 
Wright,  Edward  L.,  Guthrie,  O.  T. 


DISCHARGED. 

Shockey,  James  M Corporal Perry,  O.  T. 

Discharged,  July  i,  1898,  by  order  of  Asst.  Adjt.  Gen'l. 
Luther,  Arthur  A Farrier Pawnee,  O.  T. 

Discharged,  July  i,  1898,  by  order  of  Asst.  Adjt.  Gen'l. 
Page,  John  F Private Alva,  O.  T. 

Discharged  by  verbal  order  of  Gen'l  Wood,  Aug.  6,  1898. 
Wells,  Joseph  O Private St.  Joseph,  Mich. 

Discharged  by  order  of  Asst.  Adjt.  Gen'l,  Aug.  27,  1898. 
Simpson,  William  S Corporal Dallas,  Tex. 

Discharged  by  reason  of  promotion  into  regular  army,  as  2d  Lieut.,  Sept.    3,    1898. 


247 


APPENDIX  A 

TRANSFERRED. 

Schuyler,  A.  McGinnis  ..........  ist  Lieutenant  .....  Newkirk,  O.  T. 

Promoted  to  Captain  and  transferred  to  Troop  I  ist  U.  S.  V.  C.,  May  19,  1898. 
Schweizer,  Jacob  ................  2d  Lieutenant  ......  El  Reno,  O.  T. 

Promoted  to   ist  Lieut,    and  assigned  to  duty  as  Q.  M.  ist  U.  S.  V.   C.,  May  19, 

1898. 
Carr,  Joseph  A  .................  ist  Lieutenant  .....  Washington,  D.  C. 

Transferred  to  Troop  K.  ist  U.  S.  V.  C.,  Sept.  5,    1898.     Wounded  in  battle  before 
Santiago,  July  2,  1898.     Left  testicle.     Missile  or  weapon,  Mauser  rifle. 

TROOPERS. 

Douthett,  Matthew,  Guthrie,  O.  T.  Mitchell,    William   H.,  Guthrie,  O. 

Appointed  Q.  M.  Sergeant  ist  U.  S.  V.  T. 

C.,    and   assigned  to  duty,   Aug.  31,  Transferred  to  Troop  K  ist  U.  S.  V.  C., 

1898.  May  it,  1898. 

Freeman   Elisha  L.,  Ponca  City,  O.,  Staley,  Francis  M.  ,  Waukomis,  O. 

T.  T. 

Transferred  to  Troop  K  ist  U.  S.  V.  C.,  Transferred   to  Troop  K  ist  U.  S.  V. 

May  ii,  1898.  C.,  May  n,  1898. 

Folk,    Theodore,    Oklahoma    City,  Smith,  Fred,  Guthrie,  O.  T 

N  '».  Transferred   to   I  roop  k  ist  U.  S.   V. 

Transferred  to  Troop  K  »t  U.  S.  V.  C.,  C-  May  «,  1898. 

May  ii   1898  Weitzel,  John  F.,  Newkirk,  O.  T. 


Hulme,  Robert  A.,  El  Reno,  O.  T.  '" 


ai  lSt  U>  S"  V'  C>       Woodward,  John  A.  ,  El  Reno,  O.  T. 

Transferred   to  Troop  K  ist  U.  S.  V. 
Jordan,   Andrew    M.,   El  Reno,   O.  c.,  May  n,  1898. 

T-  Wilson,  Frank  M.,  Guthrie,  O.  T. 

Transferred  to  Iroop  K  ist  U.  S.  V.  C.,  Transferred    to  Troop    K  ist  U.  S.  V. 

May  ii,  1898.  c     May  IT>  I8q8_    v 

McGinty,  William,  Stillwater,  O.  T.       Burke,  Edward  F.,  Orange,  N.  J. 
Transferred  to  Troop  K  ist  U.  S.  V.  C.,  Transferred  to  Troop   A    ist  U.  S.  V. 

May  ii,  !898.  C.,  July  13,  1898. 

DIED. 

fashion,  Roy  V  ...............  Private  ............  Hennessey,  O.  T. 

Killed  in  battle  before  Santiago,  July  i,  1898.     Head. 
iVliller,  Theodore  W  .......  ......  Private  ............  Akron,  Ohio. 

Wounded  in  battle  before  Santiago,  July  i,  1898.     Died  from  effects  of  wound,  July 
8,  1898.     Penetrating  neck  ;   severe—  totally  paralyzed  from  head  down. 

DESERTED. 

Crosley,  Henry  S  ...............  Private  ............  Guthrie,  O.  T. 

Dropped  from  the  rolls  as  deserted,  July  8,  18980 


248 


MUSTER-OUT   ROLL 

TROOP   E. 
CAPTAIN  FREDERICK  MULLER. 

Frederick  Muller Captain Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

William  E.  Griffin ist  Lieutenant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

John  A.  Mcllhenny 2d  Lieutenant New  Orleans,  La. 

John  S.  Langston ist  Sergeant Cerrillos,  N.  M. 

Royal  A.  Prentice Q.  M.  Sergeant.  . .  Las  Vegas,  N.  M. 

Hugh  B.  Wright Sergeant Las  Vegas,  N.  M. 

Albert  M.  Jones Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Timothy  Breen Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Wounded  and  sent  to  hospital,  July  i,  1898.     Arm. 

Berry  F.  Taylor Sergeant Las  Vegas,  N.  M. 

Thomas  P.  Ledgwidge Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

John  Mullen Sergeant Chicago,  111. 

Wounded  and  sent  to  hospital,  July  i,  1898.     Side  and  head ;  severe. 
Harman  H.  Wynkoop Corporal Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Wounded    in   line  of  duty  and    sent  to  hospital,   July  2,    1898.      Returned  to  duty, 
Sept.  4,  1898. 

James  M.  Dean Corporal Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Wounded  in  line  of  duty  and  sent  to  hospital,    June    24,    1898.     Returned  to  duty, 
Aug.  31,  1898.     G.  S   left  thigh. 

Edward  C.  Waller Corporal Chicago,  111. 

Wounded  in  line  of  duty,  July  2,  1898.     Scalp,  slight. 

G.  Roland  Fortescue Corporal New  York,  N.  Y. 

Slight  bullet  wound  in  foot,  July  i,  1898. 

Edward  Bennett Corporal Cripple  Creek,  Col. 

Charles  E.  Knoblauch Corporal New  York,  N.  Y. 

Richard  C.  Conner Corporal Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Ralph  E.  McFie Corporal Las  Cruces,  N.  M. 

Arthur  J.  Griffin Trumpeter Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Edward  S.  Lewis Trumpeter Las  Vegas,  N.  M. 

Robert  J.  Parrish Blacksmith Clayton,  N.  M. 

Grant  Hill Farrier Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Joe  T.  Sandoval Saddler Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Guilford  B.  Chapin Wagoner Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

TROOPERS. 

Ausburn,  Charles  G.,  New  Orleans,  Dettamore,    George    W.,    Clayton, 

La.  N.  M. 

Almack,  Roll,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  Wounded  in  line  of  duty  and  sent  to 

Brennan,  John  M.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  hospital,  July  i,  1898. 

Baca,  Jose  M.,  Las  Vegas,  N.  M.  Davis,  Harry  A  ,  Boston,  Mass. 

Beard,  William    M.,    San   Antonio,  Dodge,  George  H.,  Denver,  Col. 

Tex.  Debli,  Joseph,  Tampa,  Fla. 

Cooper,  George  B  ,  Tampa,  Fla.  Donavan,    Freeman   M.,   Santa  Fe, 

Conway,  James,  San  Antonio,  Tex.  N.  M. 

249 


APPENDIX  A 


Douglas,  James  B. ,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Easley,  William  T.,  Clayton,  N.  M. 
Edwards,  Lawrence  W. 
Fries,  Frank  D.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Francis,  Mack,  Maynesville,  N.  C. 
Fettes,  George,  Antonito,  Col. 
Gisler,  Joseph,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Gibbs,  James  P.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Gibbie,    William    R.,    Las    Vegas, 

N.  M. 

Grigsby,  Braxton,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Grigg,  John  G.,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
Gammel,  Roy  U. ,  Jersey  Co.,  111. 
Harding,  John  D.,  Socoro,  N.  M. 
Hood,  John  B.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Harkness,    Daniel   D.,    Las   Vegas, 

N.  M. 
Hutchison,  William    M.,  Santa  Fe, 

N.  M. 
Hall,  John  P. ,  Williamson  Co. ,  Tex. 

Wounded  in  line  of  duty  and  sent  to 
hospital,  July  i,  1898.  Returned  to 
duty,  Aug.  31,  1898. 

Hogle,  William  H.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Hudson,  Arthur  J.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Hulskotter,  John,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Hutchason,    Joseph    M.,    Jimtown, 

Tenn. 
Howell,   William   S.    E.,    Cerrillos, 

N.  M. 
Hadden,    David    A.,    San  Antonio, 

Tex. 

Hixon,  Thomas  L. ,  Las  Vegas,  N.  M. 
Heard,  Judson,  Pecos  City,  Tex. 
Hamlin,  Warden  W.,  Chicago,  111. 
Jones,  Thomas  B.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Johnston,  Charles  E.,  San  Antonio, 

Tex. 
Jacobus,    Charles   W.,    Santa    Fe, 

N.  M. 

Knapp,  Edgar  A.,  Elizabeth,  N.  J. 
Kingsley,   Charles   E. ,   Las  Vegas, 

N.  M. 
Kissam,    William    A.,    New    York, 

N.  Y. 
Lowe,  Frank,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 


Ludy,  Dan,  Las  Vegas,  N.  M. 
Livingston,   Thomas  C.,    Hamilton 

Co. ,  Tex. 
Lowitzki,    Hyman    S. ,    Santa    Fe, 

N.  M. 

Lewis,  James. 

Merchant,  James  E. ,  Cerrillos,  N.  M. 
Moran,  William  J.,  Cerrillos,  N.  M. 
McKinnon,  Samuel,  Madrid,  N.  M. 
McKinley,  Charles  E. ,  Cerrillos 

N.  M. 

Wounded  in  line  of  duty,  July  i,  1898. 

Head. 

McKay,  Charles  F. ,  Santa  Fe,  N  M. 
McCabe,  Frederick  H.,  Santa  Fe, 

N.  M. 

McDowell,  John  C. ,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Morrison,  Amaziah  B. ,  Las  Vegas, 

N.  M. 

Mahan,  Lloyd  L. ,  Cerrillos,  N.  M. 
Martin,  Henry  D.,  Cerrillos,  N.  M. 
Menger,  Otto  F.,  Clayton,  N.  M. 

Wounded  in  line  of  duty,  July  i,  1898. 

Sent  to  hospital.     Left  side. 
Mungor,    William    C.,    Santa    Fe, 

N.  M. 
Nettleblade,    Adolph  F.,   Cerrillos, 

N.  M. 

Roberts,  Thomas,  Golden,  N.  M. 
Ryan,  John  E.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Wounded,  July  i,  1898,  in  line  of  duty. 
Ramsey,  Homer  M.,  Pearsall,  Tex. 
Seaders,  Ben.  F.,  Las  Vegas,  N.  M, 
Skinner.  Arthur  V.,  Santa  Fe,N.  M. 
Schnepple,  William  C,  Santa  Fe, 

N.  M. 

Scanlon,  Edward,  Cerrillos,  N.  M. 
Slevin,  Edward.  Tampa,  Fla. 
Taylor,  William  R.,  New  York,  N. 

Wagner,  William  W.,  Bland,  N.  M. 
Wright,  George,  Madrid,  N.  M. 
Wynkoop,  Charles  W.,   Santa   Fe, 

N.  M. 
Warren,    George    W.,    Santa    Fe. 

N.  M. 


DISCHARGED. 

Dame,  William  E ist  Sergeant Cerrillos,  N.  M. 

Discharged  per  O.  reg.  comds.,  Aug.  10,  1898. 
Wesley,  Frederick  C Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Discharged   on   account  of  disability,    Aug.    26,    1898.     Wounded    forearm,   slight, 
July  i,  2,  or  3. 


250 


MUSTER-OUT   ROLL 


TRANSFERRED  BY   VERBAL    ORDER  REGIMENTAL   COM 
MANDER,  May  12,  i8g8. 


Reber,  William  R Sergeant . 

Price,  Stuart  R Corporal 

Bernard,  William  C Trooper. . 

Brown,  Hiram  T Trooper. . 

Bump,  Arthur  L Trooper. . 

Cloud,  William Trooper. , 

Davis,  Henry  Clay Trooper. . 

Duran,  Jose  L Trooper. . 

Easton,  Stephen Trooper. . 

Fennell,  William  A Trooper. . 

Fleming,  Clarence  A Trooper. , 

Holden,  Prince  A Trooper. , 

Land,  Oscar  N Trooper. 

Martin,  John Trooper. . 

Roberts,  John  P Trooper. 

Stephens,  Orregon Trooper. , 

Torbett,  John  G Trooper., 

Williams,  Thomas  C Trooper. 

Zigler,  Daniel  J Trooper. 


DIED. 


Cochran,  Irad,  Jr Trooper 

Died,  May  26,  1898,  San  Antonio,  Tex.     Spinal  meningitis. 
Miller,  John  S . , Trooper , 

Died,  July  16,  1898,  of  yellow  fever,  at  Siboney,  Cuba. 
Judson,  Alfred  M Trooper 

Died  Aug.  17,  1898,  of  typhoid  fever,  at  Montauk  Point,  L.  I. 
O'Neill,  John Trooper , 

Died,  Aug.  3,  1898,  of  dysentery,  at  Edgmont  Key,  Fla. 


KILLED. 


Green,  Henry  C Trooper , 

Killed  in  action,  July  i,  1898,  near  Santiago  de  Cuba. 
Robinson,  John  F Trooper 

Killed  in  action,  July  2,  1898,  near  Santiago  de  Cuba. 

ALT  ERA  TIONS,  September  7,  1898. 

Sherrard,  Coleman ist  Lieutenant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

John  A.  Mcllhenny 2d  Lieutenant. . .  .New  Orleans,  La. 


251 


APPENDIX  A 

TROOP  F. 
CAPTAIN  MAXIMILIAN  LUNA. 

Maximilian  Luna Captain Santa  Fe,  N   M. 

Horace  W.  Weakley ist  Lieutenant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

William  E.  Dame 2d  Lieutenant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Transferred  from  Troop  E  to  F. 

Horace  E.  Sherman ist  Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Garfield  Hughes Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Thomas  D.  Fennessy Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

William  L.  Mattocks Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

James  Doyle Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

George  W.  Armijo Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Wounded  in  action,  June  24th.     G.  S.  wrist. 

Eugene  Bohlinger Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Herbert  A.  King Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Edward  Donnelly Corporal Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

John  Cullen Corporal Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Edward  Hale Corporal Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Arthur  P.  Spenser Corporal Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

John  Boehnke Corporal Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Albert  Powers Corporal Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Wounded- in  action,  July  i,  1898. 

Wentworth  S.  Conduit Corporal Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Ray  V.  Clark Farrier Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Contusion  scalp,  slight.     Missile  shrapnel.     Wounded  near  Santiago  de   Cuba,  July 
i,  2,  or  3,  1898. 

Charles  R.  Gee '.  .Farrier Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Jefferson  Hill Wagoner Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

J.  Kirk  McKurdy Trumpeter  . . . , San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Arthur  L.  Perry Bugler Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Shoulder.    Mauser  rifle.    Wounded  near  Santiago  de  Cuba,  July  i,  2,  or  3,  1898. 

TROOPERS. 

Albers,  H.  L.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  Bell,  Wm.  A.,  Tampa,  Fla. 

Wounded  in  action,  June  24,  1898.    G.  Brennan,  Jeremiah,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

S.  right  wrist.  Burris,  Walter  C.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Albertson,  Ed  J.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  Byrne,  John,  Muscogee,  I.  T. 

Wounded   in    action,  June    24.     G.    S.  Transferred  from  Troop  L  to  F. 

wrist.  Bell,  John  H.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Alexander  James,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  Cochran,  William  O.,  Santa  Fe,  N. 
Abbott,  Chas.  G.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  M. 

Adams,    Edgar    S.,    San    Antonio,  Clark,  Frank  J.,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Tex.  Colbert,  Benjamin  H.,  San  Antonio, 
Alexander,  James  F. ,  Santa  Fe,  N.  Tex. 

M.  Christian,  Edward  D. ,  Tampa,  Fla. 

Black,  James  S.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  Clelland,  Calvin  G.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Bailey,  Rob't  Z.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  Conley,  Edward  C,  Santa  Fe,   N. 

Wounded  in  action,  June  24th.     G.  S.  M. 

both  legs.  Cochran,  Willard  M.,    Santa  Fe,  N. 
Boschen,  John,  San  Antonio,  Tex.  M. 

252 


MUSTER-OUT   ROLL 


Cherry,  Charles   C.,  Santa   Fe,   N. 

M. 

Dougherty,  Louis,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
De  Bohun,    ]ohn   C.,   Santa  Fe,   N. 

M. 

Farley,  William,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Freeman,  Will,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Wounded  by  fragments  of  shell  in  wrist, 

July  i,  1898.     Left  wrist. 
Gibbs,  Henry  M.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Gunshot  wound  in  foot,  July  i,  1898. 

Gallagher,   \Vm.  D.,  Santa  Fe,   N. 

M. 
Goldberg,  Samuel,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Wounded  in  action,  July  i,  1898.    Hip. 

Mauser  rifle. 

Glessner,  Otis,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Green,  John  D. ,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Hartle,  Albert  C.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Gunshot  wound   in   testicles,    June   24, 

1898. 
Hopping,  Charles  O. ,  Santa  Fe,  N. 

M. 

Hammer,  George,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Kennedy,  Stephan  A.,  Santa  Fe,  N. 

M. 

Leffert,  Charles  E.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Lisk,  Guy  M.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Leach,  John  M. ,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Le  Stourgeon,  E.  Guy,  San  Antonio, 

Tex. 
Lavelle,    Nolan    Z.,    San    Antonio, 

Tex. 

Martin,  Thomas,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Mills,  John  B. ,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
McGregor,     Herbert?.,    Santa   Fe, 

N.  M. 

Wounded  in  action,  July  i,  1898.     Left 

shoulder.     Mauser  rifle. 
McCurdy,   F.   Allen,    San   Antonio, 

Tex. 
Nickell,  William  E.,  Santa  Fe,  N 

M. 

Nesbit,  Otto  W. ,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Newitt,  George  W.,  Santa   Fe,   N 

M. 

Neal,  John  M.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Parmele,  Charles  A.,  Santa  Fe,  N. 

M. 
Quier,  Frank  T.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 


Raymond,  Milliard  L.,  Santa  Fd,  N. 

M. 

Reed,  Harry  B. ,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Reed,  Clifford  L.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Wounded  in  action,  June   24,    1898.     In 
arm. 

Renner,  Charles   L.,  Santa   Fe,  N. 

M. 
Reynolds,  Edwin  L.,  Santa  Fe,  N. 

M. 

Russell,  Arthur  L.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Rebentisch,    Adolph,   San   Antonio, 

Tex. 

Gunshot  wound  in   shoulder,  June   24, 

1898.     Left  shoulder. 
Reyer,  Adolph  T.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Rogers,  Albert,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Rice,  Lee  C.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Staub,  Louis  E. ,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Shields,  William  G.,  Santa  Fe,   N. 

M. 
Stockbridge,  Arthur  H.,  Santa  Fe, 

N.  M. 
Sharland,  George  H.,  Santa  Fe,  N. 

M. 

Skipwith,  John  G.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Sinnett,  James  B.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Tangen,  Edward,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Trump,   Norman   O.,  Santa  Fe,   N 

M, 
Vinnedge,  George  E.,  Santa  Fe,  N. 

M. 
Wardwell,  Louis  C,  Santa  Fe,  N. 

M. 

Warren,  Paul,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Watrous,  Charles  E.,  Santa  Fe,  N. 

M. 
Weber,  Beauregard,  Santa  Fe,  N. 

M. 
Weller,  Samuel  M.,  San  Antonio, 

Tex. 
Winter.  John  G.,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Gunshot  wounds  in  shoulder,  arm  and 
leg,  July  i,  1898. 

Winter,  Otto  R. ,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
Wertheim,  Adolph  S. ,  San  Antonio, 

Tex. 

Walsh,  John,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Wells,  Thomas  J.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Wilson,  Harry  W.,  Tampa,  Fla. 


DISCHARGED. 

Douglass,  James. Private Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Discharged  acct.  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

253 


APPENDIX  A 


TRANSFERRED. 

Keyes,  Maxwell ad  Lieutenant 

Promoted  to  Adjutant,  August  i,  1898 


,  Santa  Fe\  N.  M. 


TROOPERS. 


Flynn,  Joseph  F.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Transt erred  from  Troop  F  to  I,  May, 
12,  1898.  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Goodrich,  Hedrick  Ben,   Santa  Fe, 
N.  M. 
Transferred  from  Troop   F  to  I,  May 

12,  1898,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
Hickey,  Walter,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Transferred   from   Troop  F  to  I,  May 

12,  1838,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
Hogan,  Michael,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Transferred  from  Troop  F  to  I,  May 

12,  1898,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
King,  Harry  Bruce,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Transferred  from  Troop  F  to  I,   May 

12,  1898.  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
Kerney,  George  M.,   Santa  Fe,  N. 
M. 
Transferred  from  Troop   F  to  I,    May 

12,  1898,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
Larsen,  Louis,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Transferred  from  Troop  F   to    I,   May 

12,  1898,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
McCoy,  John,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Transferred  from  Troop  F  to  I,    May 
12,  1898,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 


Nehmer,  Charles  A.,  Santa  Fe,  N. 
M. 
Transferred  from  Troop   F  to  I,  May 

12,  1898,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
Rogers,  Leo  G.,  N.  M.  „ 

Transferred   from  Troop   F  to  I,  May 

12,  1898,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
Rafalowitz,    Hyman,   Santa   Fe,   N. 
M. 
Transferred  from  Troop   F   to  I,   May 

12,  1898,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
Spencer,  Edwards  John,  Santa  Fe, 
N.  M. 

Transferred  from  Troop  F  to    I,    May 
12,  1898,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Schearnhorst,  Jr.,  Carl  T.,  Santa  Fe, 
N.  M. 
Transferred   from   Troop  F  to  I,   May 

12,  1898,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
Temple,  Frank,  Santa  Fe",  N.  M. 
Transferred   from  Troop   F  to   I,   May 
12,  1898,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Bawcom,  Joseph  L.,  Santa  Fe",  N. 
M. 

Transferred   from  Troop  F  to  I,   May 
12,  1898,  at  San  Antonio,  Tex. 


DIED. 

Booth,  Frank  B Private  . . 

Wounded  in  action  at  Las  Guasimas,  June  24,  i 

1898.     G.  S.  right  shoulder. 
Erwin,  William  T Private 

Killed  in  action,  June  24,  1898,  Las  Guasimas.     G.  S.  head. 
Endsley,  Guy  D Private 

Died  in  Cuba,  July  18,  1898,  of  fever. 


Madison,  Wis. 

;  died  at  Key  West,  August  30, 


.Austin,  Tex. 
.Somerfield,  Pa. 


DESERTED. 

Thompson,  Charles Private Mercer  Co.,  W.  Va. 

Deserted  at  Tampa,  Fla.,  July  27,  1898. 

DISCHARGED. 

Mcllhenny,  John  A Corporal San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Discharged  to  accept  commission. 


254 


MUSTER-OUT    ROLL 

TROOP   G. 
CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  H.  H.  LLEWELLEN. 

William  H.  H.  Llewellen Captain Las  Cruces,  N.  M. 

John  Wesley  Green ist  Lieutenant . . .  Gallup,  N.  M. 

David  J.  Leahy 2d  Lieutenant. . .  Raton,  N.  M. 

On  sick  list  from  July  ist  to  Sept.  3d  from  wound  received  in  San  Juan  battle. 

Columbus  H.  McCaa ist  Sergeant Gallup,  N.  M. 

Jacob  S.  Mohler Q.  M .  Sergeant. .  Gallup,  N.  M. 

Raymond  Morse Sergeant 

Rolla  A,  Fullenweider Sergeant Raton,  N.  M. 

Matthew  T.  McGehee Sergeant Raton,  N.  M. 

Tames  Brown Sergeant Gallup,  N.  M. 

Nicholas  A.  Vyne Sergeant Emporia,  Kan. 

Raleigh  L.  Miller Sergeant Pueblo,  Col. 

Henry  Kirah Corporal Gallup,  N.  M. 

lames  D.  Ritchie   Corporal Gallup,  N.  M. 

Luther  L.  Stewart Corporal Raton,  N.  M. 

Wounded  in  battle,  June  24th.  Absent  since  on  account  of  wound.  G.  S.  left  forearm. 
John  McSparron Corporal Gallup,  N.  M. 

Wounded,  July  ist.     Absent  since  on  account  of  wound.     Right  thigh,  severe.    Mis 
sile,  shrapnel. 

Frank  Briggs Corporal Raton,  N.  M. 

Edward  C.  Armstrong Corporal Albuquerque,  N.  M. 

William  S.  Reid Corporal Raton,  N.  M. 

Hiram  E.  Williams Corporal Raton,  N.  M. 

George  V.  Haefner Farrier Gallup,  N.  M. 

Frank  A.  Hill Saddler Raton,  N.  M. 

Thomas  O'Neal Wagoner Springer,  N.  M. 

Willis  E.  Somers Trumpeter Raton,  N.  M. 

Edward  G.  Piper Trumpeter Silver  City,  N.  M. 

Alvin  C.  Ash Trooper Raton,  N.  M. 

Absence  from  command  since  July  ist  to  Sept.  7th  on  account  of  wound  received  in 
battle.     Wrist,  slight.     Missile,  shrapnel. 


TROOPERS. 

Arnold,  Edward  B.,  Prescott,  Ariz.  Beissel,  John  J.,  Gallup,  N.  M. 

Akin,  James  E.,  Dolores,  Col.  Camp,  Cloid,  Raton,  N.  M. 

Anderson,  Arthur  T.,  Albuquerque,  Camp,  Marion,  Raton,  N.  M. 

N.  M.  Covenaugh,  Thomas  F.,  Raton,  N. 

Andrews,     William      C.,      Sulphur  M. 

Springs,  Tex.  Absent  since  June  24th  on  account  of 

Beck.  Joseph  H.,  San  Antonio,  Tex.  wound  received  in  battle.' 

Bishop,  Louis  B     San  Antonio  Tex.  Cody,  William  E.,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Brurnley,  Jr.,  William   H.,   Dolores,  Chopetal,    Frank   W.,    Buffalo,    N. 

Brown,  Robert   Gallup    N.  M.  Coyl      Michael  H.,  Raton,  N.  M. 

Brown,  EdwinM.,  San  Antonio  Tex.  Absent  on  sick  leave  sinc^  June       h 

Brazelton,   William    H.,    St.    Louis,  on  account  of  wound  in  arm  received 

Mo.  in  battle. 

235 


APPENDIX   A 


Clark,  Winslow,  Milton,  Mass. 

Absent  on  sick  leave  since  July  ist  on 
account  of  gunshot  wound  tli rough 
lung  received  in  battle.  Right  lung, 
severe.  Missile  or  weapon,  Mauser 
rifle. 

Cotton,  Frank  W. ,  Jennings,  La. 

Conover,  Alfred].,  Chicasee,  I.  T. 

Detwiler,  Sherman,  Muscatine,  la. 

Dunn,  Alfred  B. ,  Calvert,  Tex. 

Edmunds,  John  H.,  Alleghany,  Pa. 

Faupel,  Henry  F.,  Martington,  111. 

Fornoff,     Frederick,    Albuquerque, 
N.  M. 

Fitch,  Roger  S.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Gibson,  William  C.,  Gallup,  N.  M. 

Gevers,  Louis,  Austin,  Tex. 

Absent  from  July  ist  till  Aug.  2d  on 
account  of  gunshot  wound  in  hips 
received  in  battle. 

Goodwin,  John,  Gallup,  N.  M. 

Healey,  Frank  F.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Henderson,  John,  Gallup,  N.  M. 
Absent  from   July  ist  to    Sept.  sd  on 
account  of  wound  in  arm  received  in 
battle.     Wrist.     Missile   or   weapon, 
Mauser  rifle. 

Henshaw,  Laten  R.,  El  Paso,  Tex. 

Johnson,  Albert  John,  Raton,  N.  M. 

Kline,  John  S.,  San  Marcial,  N.  M. 

Keeley,  Bert  T.,  Lamy,  N.  M. 

King,  Henry  A.,  Massitee,  Mich. 

Littleton,  Elias  M.,  Springer,  N.  M. 

Lincoln,  Malcom  D.,  Lucknow,  I.  T. 

Larson,  Anton,  Silverton,  Col. 

Lyle,  James  C.,  Georgetown,  Col. 

Miller,  Frank  P.,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Meyers,  Fred  P.,  Gallup,  N.  M. 
Reduced  from  ist  Sergt.  to  Trooper  on 
account  of  absence  caused  by  wound 
received    in    battle,     July    i,    1898. 
Head,  severe. 

Moran,  Daniel,  Gallup,  N.  M. 

Mann,  Eugene  M. ,  Omaha,  Neb. 


McCarthy,  George  H.,  Los  Angeles 

Cal. 
McKinney,     Frank    G.,    Harrison, 

Ark. 
McKinney,    Oliver,    Cannon    City, 

Col. 
McMullen,    Samuel  J.,   St.    Louis, 

Mo. 

Noish,  John,  Raton,  N.  M. 
Phipps,  T.  W.,  Bland,  N.  M. 
Petty,  Archibald,  Gallup,  N.  M. 
Pennington,    Elijah,    San    Antonio, 

Tex. 

Preston,  Robert  A.,  Stiles,  Tex. 
Quigg,  George  H.,  Gallup,  N.  M. 
Quinn,     Walter    D.,    San    Marcial, 

N.  M. 

Radcliff,  William,  Gallup,  N.  M. 
Richards,     Richard,     Albuquerque, 

N.  M. 

Rayburn,  Harry  C.,  Camden,  la. 
Reid,  Robert  W.,  Raton,  N.  M. 

Absent  on  sick  leave  from  June  24th  to 
Sept.  8th  on  account  of  wound  in  side 
received  in  battle,  (i.  S.  to  right 
hip. 

Ragland,  Robert  C.,  Guthrie,  O.  T. 
Roland,  George,  Deming,  N.  M. 

G.  S.  right  side,  June  24,  1898. 
Stillson,  Earl,  Topeka,  Kan. 
Simmons,  Charles  M.,  Raton,  N.  M. 
Slaughter,   Benjamin,   San  Antonio, 

Tex. 

Shannon,  Charles  W.,  Raton,  N.  M. 
Thomas,  Neal,  Aztec,  N.  M. 
Travis,  Grant,  Aztec,  N.  M. 
Van   Horn,   Eustace   E.,    Halstead, 

Kan. 

Welch,  Toney,  Durango,  Col. 
Whittington,  Richard,  Gallup,  N.  M. 
Whited,  Lyman  E.,  Raton,  N.  M. 
Wood,  William  D.,  Bland,  N.  M. 
Wright,  Clarence,  Springer,  N.  M. 


DISCHARGED. 

Swan,  George  D Gallup,  N.  M. 

Discharged  on  account  of  disability. 
Thompson,  Frank  M Aztec,  N.  M. 

Discharged  on  account  of  disability. 


DESERTED. 

McCulloch,  Samuel  T Springer,  N.  M. 

Deserted  from  camp  at  Tampa,  Fla.,  Aug.  4,  1898. 

256 


MUSTER-OUT    ROLL 


DEA  THS. 

Green,  J.  Knox Rancho,  Tex. 

Died  at  Muntauk  Point,  N.  Y.,  Camp  U.  S.  '1  rx>ps,  Aug.   15,  because  of  sickness 
which  originated  in  line  of  duty. 

Lutz,  Eugene  A Raton,  N.  M. 

Detained  in  yellow-fever  hospital  by  medical  authorities  when  regiment  left  Cuba. 
Died  in  same,  Aug.  15,  1898. 

KILLED   IN  ACTION. 

Haefner,  Henry  J Gallup,  N.  M. 

In  battle,  June  24,  1898. 
Russell,  Marcus  D Troy,  N.  Y. 

Killed  in  action,  June  24,  1898. 

TRANSFERRED. 

Arendt,  Henry  J Sergeant Gallup,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 

Corbe,  M.  C Trumpeter 

Transferred  to  Troop  K,  May  n. 


TROOPERS. 


Bailie,  Henry  C.,  Gallup,  N.  M. 

Transferred  from  Troop  I  to  Troop  G, 

Aug.  31,  1898. 
Love,  William  J.,  Raton,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I.  May  i2th. 
Morgan,  Schuyler  C.,  Hazard,  Ky. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 
Morgan,  Ulysses  G.,  Hazard,  Ky. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 
Odell,    William     D.,    Parkersburg, 

W.  Va. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 
Donnelly,  Rutherford  B.   H.,  Jeffer 
son,  O.  T. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 
Evans,  Evan,  Gallup,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  xath. 
Groves,  Oscar  W.,  Raton,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 
Jones,  William  H.,  Raton,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 


Kania,  Frank,  Jamestown,  N.  D. 

Transferred  to  Troop  K,  May  nth. 
Pierce,  Ed.,  Chicago,  111. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 
Saville,  Michael,  Chicago,  111. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 
Sinnett,  Lee,  Maizeville,  W.  Va. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 
Tait,  John  H.,  Raton,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 
Peabody,  Harry,  Raton,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 
McGowan,    Alexander,    Gallup,   N. 

M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 
Brown,  John,  Gallup,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 
Crockett,  Joseph  B.,  Raton,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  i2th. 


257 


APPENDIX  A 

TROOP   H. 
CAPTAIN  GEORGE  CURRY. 

George  Curry Captain Tularosa,  N.  M. 

William  H.  Kelly ist  Lieutenant . . .  East  Las  Vagas,  N.  M. 

Charles  L.  Ballard 2d  Lieutenant . . .  Roswell,  N.  M. 

Green  A.  Settle ist  Sergeant Jackson  Co.,  Ky. 

Nevin  P.  Gutilius Sergeant Tularosa,  N.  M. 

William  A.  Mitchell Sergeant El  Paso.  Tex. 

Oscar  de  Montell Sergeant Roswell,  N.  M. 

Thomas  Darnell Sergeant Denver,  Col. 

Willis  J.  Physioc Sergeant Columbia,  S.  C. 

Michael  C.  Rose Sergeant Silver  City,  N.  M. 

Nova  A.  Johnson Sergeant Roswell,  N.  M. 

Morton  M.  Morgan Corporal Silver  City,  N.  M. 

Arthur  E.  Williams .  .Corporal Las  Cruces,  N.  M. 

Frank  Murray Corporal Roswell,  N.  M. 

Morgan  O.  B.  Lewellyn Corporal Las  Cruces,  N.  M. 

James  C.  Hamilton Corporal Roswell,  N.  M. 

George  F.  Jones Corporal El  Paso,  Tex. 

Charles  P.  Cochran Corporal Eddy,  N.  M. 

John  M.  Kelly Corporal El  Paso,  Tex. 

Robert  E.  Ligon Trumpeter Beaumont,  Tex. 

Gaston  R.  Dehumy Trumpeter Sante  Fe,  N.  M. 

Uriah  Sheard Blacksmith El  Paso,  Tex. 

Robert  L.  Martin Farrier Sante  Fe,  N.  M. 

John  Shaw Saddler Scott  Co.,  Iowa. 

Taylor  B.  Lewis Wagoner Las  Cruces,  N.  M. 

TROOPERS. 

Allison,  Jovillo,  Bentonville,  Ark.  Dunkle,    Frederick   W.,    East    Las 
Amonette,  Albert   B.,    Roswell,  N.  Vagas,  N.  M. 

M.  Douglas,  Arthur  L.,  Eddy,  N.  M. 

Bendy,  Cecil  C.,  El  Paso,  Tex.  Eaton,  Frank  A.,  Silver  City,  N.  M. 

Black,  Columbus   L. ,    Las   Cruces,  Fletcher,  Augustus  C. ,  Silver  City, 

N.  M.  N.  M. 

Bryan,  John  B.,  Las  Cruces.  N.  M.  Frye,  Obey  B.,  Flagstaff,  Ariz. 

Bogardus,  Frank,  Las  Cruces,  N.  M.  Gasser,  Louis,  El  Paso,  Tex. 

Brown,  Percy,  Spring  Hill,  Tenn.  George,  Ira  W.,  Quincy,  111. 

Baker,  Philip  S. ,  Clinton,  la.  Grisby,  James  B.,  Deming,  N.  M. 

Bullard,  John  W.,  Guadaloupe,  Tex.  Hamilton,  James  M.,  Deming,  N.  M. 

Connell,  Thomas  J.,  Bennett,  Tex.  Herring,   Leary  O.,  Silver  City,  N. 
Corbett,  Thomas  F.,  Roswell,  N.  M.  M. 

Cornish,  Thomas  J.,  Freestone,  Tex.  Hunt,  Le  Roy  R. ,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Crawford,  Clinton  K. ,  Cincinnati,  O.  Houston,   Robert  C.,   Hillsboro,  N. 
Cone,  John  S. ,  Tularosa,  N.  M.  M. 

Duran,  Abel  B.,  Silver  City,  N.  M.  James,  Frank  W.,  Marion   Co.,  Ga 

Duran,  Jose  L.,  Sante  Fe,  N.  M.  Johnson,  Charles,  Lund.  Sweden. 

Dorsey,  Lewis,  Silver  City,  N.  M.  Johnson,  Harry  F.,  Beaumont,  Tex 

Doty,  George  B.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  Johnson,  Lewis  L.,  Beaumont,  Tex. 

258 


MUSTER-OUT   ROLL 


Kehoe,  Michael  J.,  Ottawa,  Canada. 
Kehn,  Amandus,  Silver  City,  N.  M. 
Kinnebrugh,  Ollie  A.,  El  Paso,  Tex. 
Kendall,  Harry  J.,  Coldsborg,  Ky. 
Lawson.  Frank  H.,  Las  Cruces,  N. 

M. 

Lewis,  Adelbert,  Beaver  Co.,  Utah. 
Lannon,  John,  Hillsboro,  N.  M. 
Mooney,  Thomas  A.,  Silver  City,  N. 

M. 

Moneckton,    William    J.,    San    An 
tonio,  Tex. 

McAdams,  Joel  H.,  Mt.  Pilia,  Tenn. 
McAdams,    Richard    P.,    Mt.    Pilia, 

Tenn. 
McCarty,  Frederick  J. ,  Mentzville, 

Mo. 

Murray,  George  F.,  Deming,  N.  M. 
Nobles,  William  H.,  Silver  City,  N. 

M. 

Neff,  Nettleton,  Cincinnati,  O. 
Owens,  Clay  T.,  El  Paso,  Tex. 
Ott,  Charles  H.,  Silver  City,  N.  M. 
Pace,  John,  Bentonville,  Ark. 
Pipkins,  Price. 

Powell,  Lory  H.,  Roswell,  N.  M. 
Pronger,   Norman  W.,  Silver  City, 

N.  M. 

Pollock,  John  F.,  Tularosa,  N.  M. 
Piersol,  James  M.,  Osborne,  Mo. 


Roberson,  James  R.,  Belle  Co.,  T~x. 

Rutherford,  Bruce  H.,  Pana,  111. 

Regan,  John  J.,  Beaumont,  Tex. 

Sharp,  Emerson  E.,  Wanamaker, 
Tenn. 

Stewart,  Newtown,  El  Paso,  Tex. 

Scroggins.  Oscar,  Logan  Co.,  111. 

St.  Clair,  Edward  C.,  New  Orleans, 
La. 

Saucier,  Harry  S.,  New  Orleans, 
La. 

Schutt,  Henry,  Warren,  Pa. 

Sawyer,  Benjamin,  Hillsboro,  111. 

Thompson,  Alexander  M.,  Deming, 
N.  M. 

Traynor,  William  S.,  Wilcox,  Ariz. 

Thomas,  Theodore  C.,  Leaven- 
worth,  Kan 

Waggoner,  Daniel  G.,  Roswell,  N. 
M.  « 

Waggoner,  Curtis  C.,   Roswell,  N. 

Wilson,  Charles  E.,  Boulder,  Col. 
Wilkinson,  Samuel  I.,  Cincinnati,  O. 
Woodson,  Pickens  E.,  Honey  Grove, 

Tex. 
Wheeler,     Frank    G.,     Chautauqua 

Co.,  N.  Y. 
Wickham,  Patrick  A.,  Socorro,  N. 

M. 


DISCHARGED. 

Rynerson,  William  L Sergeant Las  Cruces,  N.  M. 

Discharged  from  service  of  U.  S.  Army  by  reason  of  special  order  No.  145  Hd. 
Qrs.,  U.  S.  Army,  Washington,  D.  C. 

TRA  NSFERRED. 

John  B.  Wiley Sergeant 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 

Joseph  F.  Kansky Sergeant 

John  V.  Morrison Sergeant Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 


TROOPERS. 


Lee,  Robert  E.,  Donabua,  N.  M. 
Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  189 


Gate,  James  S.,  Grape  Vine,  Tex. 
Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 


Bennett,  Orton  A.,  Jack  Co.,  Tex.  Casad,  C.   Darwin,  Las  Cruces,  N 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898.  M. 

Brito,  Jose,  El  Paso,  Tex. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 


Brito,  Frank  C.,  El  Paso,  Tex. 
Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 


Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 
Dolan,  Thomas  P.,  Ticonderoga,  N 
Y. 
Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 


259 


APPENDIX   A 


Farrell,    Frederick    P.,     El     Paso, 
Tex. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 
Frenger,  Muna  C.,  Las  Cruces,  N. 

M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 
Hermeyer,  Ernest  H.,  Germany 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 
Jopling,  Cal.,  Hamilton  Co.,  Tex. 

Transferred  to  Troop  1.  May  12,  1898. 
Nehmer,  William,  Staten,  Germany. 

Transferred  to  Troop  J,  May  12,  1898. 
Roediger,  August,  Charlotte,  N.  C. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 
Schafer,  George,  Pinos  Altos,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 


Storms,  Morris  J.,  Roswell,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  1,  May  12,  1898. 
Sullivan,    William   J.,    Manchester. 

Va. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 
Fritz,  William  H.,  Windsor,  Conn. 

Transferred  to  Troop  I,  May  12,  1898. 
Eberman,   Henry  J.,   Bremen,  Ger 
many. 

Transferred  from  Troop  K  to  Troop  H, 
May  16,  1898.     Re-transferred  to  K, 
June  8,  1898.    Died. 
Bucklin,    E.   W.,    Chautauqua  Co., 

N.  Y. 

Transferred  to  Troop  L,  June  8,  1898. 
Wright,  Grant,  Cold  Springs,  N.  Y. 

Transferred  to  Troop  L,  June  8,  1898. 


DIED. 

Gosling,  Frederick  W Bedfordshire,  Eng. 

Died  in  hospital  at  Camp  Wikoff,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  19,  1898. 
Casey,  Edwin  Eugene Las  Cruces,  N.  M. 

Died  in  hospital  at  Camp  Wikoff,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  i,  1898. 

DESERTED. 

Ewell,  Edward  A Adrian,  111. 

Deserted,  June  28,  1898,  at  Tampa,  Fla. 
Miller,  Samuel Roswell,  N.  M 

Deserted,  June  28,  1898,  at  Tampa,  Fla. 


TROOP  I. 


CAPTAIN  SCHUYLER  A.  McGiNNis. 


Newkirk,  O.  T. 
Sante  Fe,  Mex. 
Prescott,  Ariz. 
Fort  Bayard,  N.  Mex. 
Durango,  Col. 


Schuyler  A.  McGinnis Captain 

Frederick  W.  Wintge. ist  Lieutenant. . 

Samuel  Grenwald 2d  Lieutenant. . 

John  B.  Wylie ist  Sergeant.  . . . 

Schuyler  C.  Morgan Q.  M.  Sergeant, 

John  V.  Morrison Sergeant Springerville,  Ariz. 

William  R.  Reber Sergeant 

Basil  M.  Ricketts Sergeant Lambs'  Club,  N.  Y. 

Percival  Gassett Sergeant Dedham,  Mass. 

James  S.  Gate Sergeant Grape  Vine,  Tex. 

William  H.  Waffensmith Sergeant Raton,  N.  M. 

August  Roediger Corporal Charlotte,  N.  C. 

Numa  C.  Freuger Corporal Las  Cruces,  N.  Mex. 

William  J.  Sullivan Corporal Silver  City,  N.  M. 

William  J.  Nehmer .   Corporal Silver  City,  N.  M. 

260 


MUSTER-OUT    ROLL 


Abraham  L.  Bainter Corporal . . . 

Hiram  T.  Brown Corporal . . . 

Errickson  M.  Nichols Corporal . . . 

George  M.  Kerney Corporal . . . 

Robert  E.  Lea. Trumpeter  . 

Clarence  H.  Underwood Trumpeter. 

Charles  A.  Nehmer Blacksmith  . 

Hayes  Donnelly Farrier 

Leo  G.  Rogers Saddler 

Everett  E.  Holt Wagoner. . . 


.Colorado  Springs,  Col. 

.Albuquerque,  N.  M. 

.52  E.  78th  St.,  New  York  City 

.Globe,  Ariz. 

.Dona  Ana,  N.  M. 

.Colorado  Springs,  Col. 

.Chicago,  111. 

.Jefferson,  O.  T. 

.  Bogart,  Mo. 

.Coffeyville,  Kan. 


TROOPERS. 


Alexis,   George   D.,    New   Orleans, 

La. 

Arendt,  Henry  J.,  Hoboken,  N.  J. 
Armstrong,  Charles  M. 
Adkins,  Joseph  R. 
Bates,  William  H. 
Barrowe,  Hallett  A. 
Bawcom,  Joseph  L.,  Bisbee,  Ariz. 
Bennett,    Horton   A.,   Tularosa,   N. 

M. 

Brito,  Frank  C.,  Pinos  Altos,  N.  M. 
Brito,  Jose,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 
Brush,  Charles  A.,  Hanford,  Cal. 
Bassage,  Albert  C,  Corning.  N.  Y. 
Casad,  Charles  D.,  Mesilla,  N.  M. 
Cloud,  William. 

Crockett,  Joseph  B.,  Topeka,  Kan. 
Coe,  George   M.,  Albuquerque,   N. 

M. 

Clark,  Frank  M.,  Hiawatha,  Kan. 
Davis,  Henry  C.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Dolan,  Thomas  P.,  Pinos  Altos,  N. 

M. 

Denny,  Robert  W.,  Raton,  Mex. 
Duke,  Henry  K. ,  Lipscomb,  Tex. 
Evans,    Evan,  Gallup,  N.  M. 
Fennel,  \Villiam  A.,  Reunion,  Md. 
Flynn,  Joseph  F.,  Albuquerque,  N. 

Geiger,  Percy  A.,  Durango,  Col. 
Gooch,  John'R.,  Sante  Fe,  N.  M. 
Groves.  Oscar  W.,  Raton,  N.  M. 
Goodrich,  Ben  Hedric. 
Ciller,  Alfred  C.  Topeka,  Kan. 
Hermeyer,  Ernest  H.,   Roswell,  N. 

M.     ' 

Hickey,  Walter,  Wishua,  N.  H. 
Hogan,  Michael. 

Jones,  William  H.,  Raton,  N.  M. 
Jopling,  Cal,  La  Luz.  N.  M. 
King,  Harry  B.,  Raton,  N.  M. 
Larsen,  Louis. 
Love,  William  J.,  Jersey  City,  N.  J. 


McCoy,  John,  Monrovia,  Cal. 
McGowan,    Alexander,    Gallup,    N. 

M. 

Martin,  John,  Decanter,  111. 
Miller,     Edwin    H.,    Junction    City, 

Kan. 

Miller,  David  R. 
Miller,  Jacob  H.,  Needles,  Cal. 
Morgan,  U.  S.  Grant,  Durango,  Co.. 
Morris,  Ben  F.  T.,  Raton,  N.  M. 
Moore,  Roscoe  E..  Raton,  N.  M. 
North,  Franklin  H.,  2  W.  35th  St 

New  York  City 
O'Dell,   William  W.,   Parkersburg, 

W.  Va. 

Peabody,  Harry,  Raton,  N.  M. 
Pierce,  Edward,  Chicago,  111. 
Price,  Stewart  R.,  Plattsburg,  Mo. 
Rafalowitz,    Hyman,     Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Roberts,  John  P.,  Clayton,  N.  M. 
Reisig,  Max,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  St.  Louis, 

Mo. 

Raulett,  Charles,  New  Orleans,  La. 
Reidy,  John,  Ottawa,  Kan. 
Shornhorst,  Carl  J.  Jr. 
Schafer,  George,  Pinos  Altos,  N.  M. 
Sennett,  Lee,  Marysville,  W.  Va. 
Storms,  Morris  J.,  Centerpoint,  Tex. 
Spencer,  Edward  John,  Clay  Count  v 

Tex. 

Tait,  John  H. 

Temple,  Frank,  Lafayette,  Ind. 
Torbett.  John  T.,  Yale,  Kan. 
Tritz,  William  H.,  Windsor,  Conn. 
Townsend,   Charles   M.,    Faribault, 

Minn. 

Twyman,  John  L.,  Raton,  N.  M. 
Thompson,  George. 
Williams,  Thomas  C. 
Wiley,  Harry  B.,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 
Wisenberg,  Roy  O.,  Raton,  N.  M. 
Zeigler,  Daniel  J.,  Como,  Mont. 


261 


APPENDIX   A 

DISCHARGED. 

Brown,  Harry  R Private Tampa,  Fla. 

Discharged  at  Tampa,  Fla.,  Aug.  5,  1898,  per  S.  O.  153  A.  G.  O.,  dated  June  3* 
1898,  and  final  statements  forwarded  to  A.  G.  O.,  Washington,  D.  C.,  Aug.  3,  1898 
Young,  Howard  G Private 

Discharge  to  date  from  Aug.  23,  1898. 

TRANSFERRED. 

Girard,  Alfred  O ist  Sergeant 

Transferred,  July  18,  1898.  to  zd  Army  Corps,  Camp  Alger,  per  telegraphic  instruc 
tions  A.  G.  O.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Cowdin,  Elliot  C Corporal 

Transferred  to  Troop  L  ist  U.  S.  Vol.  Cav.,  to  date  June  7,  1898,  per  verbal  order 
Reg.  Commander. 

Fish,  Hamilton  Jr Sergeant 

Transferred  to  Troop  L  ist  U.  S.  Vol.    Cav.,  June  7,  1898,  per  verbal  order  Reg. 
Commander.     Killed  in  battle,  June  24,  1898. 

Wilson,  Charles  A Private 

Transferred   to  Hosp.  Corps  ist  U.  S.  Vol.  Cav.,  June  7,  1898,  verbal  order  Reg. 
Commander. 

Greenway,  John  C 26.  Lieutenant 

Promoted  ist  Lieut.  Troop  A  ist  U.  S.  Vol.  Cav. 

Bailey,  Harry  C Private 

Transferred  back  to  Troop  G,  Sept.  i,  1898,  per  verbal  order  Reg.  Commander. 

DIED. 

Tiffany,  William ad  Lieutenant  .... 

Died  Aug.  26,  1898. 

DESERTED. 

Saville,  Michael Private  

Deserted  from  Camp  Wikoff,  L.  I.,  Aug.  20,  1898. 
Brown,  John Private 

Deserted  while  en  route  from  Camp  Wood,  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  to  camp  at  Tampa, 

Fla.,  June  3,  1898. 
Farrell,  Fred.  P Private 

Deserted  while  en  route  from  Camp  Wood,  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  to  camp  at  Tampa. 
Fla.,  June  3,  1898. 


TROOP   K. 
CAPTAIN  WOODBURY  KANE. 

Woodbury  Kane Captain 319  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York  City. 

Joseph  A.  Carr  .: ist  Lieutenant. 2127  R.  St.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Horace  K.  Devereux 2d  Lieutenant. Colorado  Springs,  Col. 

Wounded  at  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898  ;  forearm  and  arm  ;  Mauser  rifle. 

Frederik  K.  Lie ist  Sergeant. .  .Orgun  P.  O.,  N.  M. 

Thaddeus  Higgins Sergeant 210  W.  iO4th  St.,  New  York  City. 

Reginald  Ronalds Sergeant Knickerbocker  Club,  N.  Y.  City. 

Samuel  G.  Devore Sergeant Wheeling,  W.  Va. 

Wounded  at  El  Poso,  July  ist ;  left  forearm  :  shrapnel. 

262 


MUSTER-OUT    ROLL 


Philip  K.  Sweet Sergeant 

William  J.  Breen Sergeant. .  . . 

Craig  W.  Wadsworth Sergeant. .  . . 

Henry  W.  Buel Sergeant 

James  B.   Tailor Corporal.  .. 

Joseph  S.  Stevens Corporal 

Maxwell  Norman Corporal, .  . . 

Edwin  Coakley Corporal 

George  Kerr,  Jr Corporal 

Henry  S.  Van  Schaick Corporal 

Frederick   Herrig Corporal. .  . . 

Oscar  Land Trumpeter . . 

George  W.  Knoblauch. .  .Trumpeter  . 

Benjamin  A.  Long Saddler 

Wounded  at  El  Poso,  July  ist ;  left  thigh. 

Thomas  G.  Bradley Farrier 

George  T.  Crucius Blacksmith. . 

Lee  Burdwell Wagoner  .  . . 


.226  W.  i2ist  St.,  New  York  City. 

.510  E.  I44th  St.,  New  York  City. 

.Geneseo,  N.  Y. 

.319  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York  City. 

.Ardsley  on  Hudson,  N.  Y. 

.Narragansett  Ave.,  Newport,  R.  I. 

.Newport,  R.  I. 

.Prescott,  Ariz. 

.East  Downington,  Pa. 

.100  Broadway,  New  York  City,, 

.Pleasant     Valley,     Kalispel,     Flat 

Head  Co..  Mont. 
.720  S.  8th  St.,  Denver,  Col. 
.205  W.  syth  St.,  New  York  City. 
..New  York  City. 

.Potomac,  Montgomery  Co.,  Md. 
.50  Amanda  St.,  Montgomery,  Ala 
.Langtry,  Tex. 


TROOPERS. 


Armstrong,  James  T. 
Adams,  John  H.,  Selma,  Ala. 

Wounded,  July  ist. 
Bell,    Sherman,   Colorado    Springs, 

Col. 
Bernard,  William   C. ,    Las    Vegas, 

N.  M. 

Batchelder,  Wallace  N. .  Chester,  Pa. 
Bump,  Arthur  L.,  New  London,  O. 

Slightly  wounded,  July  ist. 
Cameron,    Charles   H.,   McDonald, 

Pa. 

Campbell,  Douglass. 
Cash,  Walter  S.,  Colorado  Springs, 

Col. 

Wounded,  July  ist ;  arm,  slight  ;  Mau 
ser  rifle. 

Cooke,  Henry  B. 
Carroll,  John  F.,  Hillsboro,  Tex. 
Cartmell,  Nathaniel  M.,  Lexington, 

Va. 
Clagett,   Jesse   C. ,  Moters   Station, 

Frederick  Co.,  Md. 
Corbe.  Max  C.,  El  Paso,  Tex. 
Coville,  Allen  M.,  Topeka,  Kan. 
Crowninshield,  Francis    B.,  Marble- 
head,  Mass. 
Channing,  Roscoe  A. ,  34  Park  Place, 

New  York  City. 
Daniels,     Benjamin     F.,     Colorado 

Springs,  Col. 
Davis,  John,  care  W.  S.  Dickinson, 

Tarpon  Springs,  Fla. 


Easton,  Stephen,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Eberman,  Edwin. 

Emerson,    Edwin,    Collier's  Weekly, 

New  York  City. 
Flemming,  Clarence  A. 
Fletcher,  Henry  P.,  Chambersburg, 

Franklin  Co. ,  Pa. 
Folk,    Theodore,    Oklahoma    City, 

O.  T. 

Freeman,  Elisha  L. ,  Burden,  Kan. 
Holden,   Prince  A.,     Grayson    Co., 

Tex. 

Hulme,  Robert  A.,  El  Reno,  O.  T. 
James,    William    F. ,   San    Antonio, 

Tex. 

Jordan,  Andrew  M.,  Rossa,  Tex. 
Kania,  Frank,  Jamestown,  N.  D. 
Langdon,  Jesse  D.,  Fargo,  N.  D. 
Marshall,  Creighton,  1807  G  St., 

N.  W,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Maverick,  Lewis,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
McGinty,    William,    Stillwater,    O. 

McKoy,  William  J.,  Oshkosh,  Wis. 
Mitchell,  Mason,  Lambs'  Club,  New 

York  City. 

Wounded  at  El  Poso,  July  ist ;  left  arm, 
slight  ;  shrapnel. 

Mitchell,  William  H  ,  Salem,  Mass. 

Montgomery,  Lawrence  N.,  Hemp- 
stead,  Tex. 

Nicholson,  Charles  P.,  1617  John  St., 
Baltimore,  Md. 


263 


APPENDIX   A 


Norris,    Edmund    S.,    Guthrie,    O. 

Poey,  Alfred. 

Pollak,  Albin  J. 

Quaid,  William,  Newberg,  N.  Y. 

Robinson,   Kenneth    D.,  55  Liberty 

St. .  New  York  City. 

Wounded  on  July    ist ;  right  side,  se 
vere  ;    Mauser  rifle. 
Reed,  Colton,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 
Smith.  Frederick,  Guthrie,  O.  T. 
Smith,  George  L.,  Frankfort,  Mich. 
Smith,  Joseph   S.,   1322  Brown  St., 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Smith,  Clarke  T.,  2008  Wallace  St., 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Stockton,    Richard,   218   W.    Jersey 

St.,  Elizabeth,  N.  J. 
Stephens,  Oregon,  Purdy,  I.  T. 
Thorp,     Henry,    Southampton,    L. 

I. 


Test,  Clarence  L.,  Austin,  Tex. 

Transferred  from  3d  Penn.  Inf.  and  re 
ported  for  duty  with  troop   at    Mon- 
tauk  Point,  Aug.  251!!. 
Toy,   J.    Frederick,  602  S.  42d  St. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Transferred  from  3d  Penn.  Inf.  and  re 
ported  for  duty  with  troops  at   Mon- 
tauk  Point,  Aug.  25th. 
Tudor,  William,  37  Brimer  St.,  Bos 
ton,  Mass. 
Venable,  Warner  M.,  Stephenville, 

Tex. 

Wiberg,  Axel  E. 
Weitzel,    John    F.,    care    Windsor 

Hotel,  Newkirk,  O.  T. 
Wilson,  Frank  M.,  Guthrie,  O.  T. 
Woodward,  John  A.,  Taylor,  Tex. 
Wright,  Grant,  Cold  Springs,  N.  Y. 
Young,  James  E.,  628  W.  37th  St., 

Los  Angeles,  Cal. 


DISCHARGED. 


Maloon,  Winthrop  L  .....  Private  ....... 

Discharged  per  S.  O.  No.  141,  A.  G.  O.     Dated  June  6th. 
McMasters,  Frederick  D.  .  Private  ....... 

Discharged  per  S.  O.  No.  178,  A.  G.  O.     Dated  July  3oth,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Ferguson,  Robert  M  ......  Sergeant  ......  55  Liberty  St.,  New  York  City. 

Discharged,  Aug.  loth,  1898. 
Worden,  John  L  .........  Private  .....  .27  W.  43d  St.,  New  York  City. 

Discharged  by  way  of   favor  per  telegraphic  order  from  Assistant  Secretary  of  War. 

Dated  Aug.  isth,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Cosby,  Arthur  F  .........  Private  ....... 

Discharged  per  S.  O.  No.  103,  A.  G.  O.,  Aug    i7th,    Washington,  D.   C.,  to  enable 

the  soldier  to  accept  a  commission.     Wounded,  July  ist;  right  hand. 
Babcock,  Campbell  E  ____  Private  .......  The  Plaza,  Chicago,  111. 

Discharged.  Sept.  sth,  to  accept  commission. 
Lee,  Joseph  J  ............  Private  .......  Knoxville,  Md. 

Discharged  per  S.  O.  No.  205,  A.  G.  O.,  Washington,  D.  C.,  Aug.  3151. 


TRANSFERRED. 

Duran,  Joseph  L Private Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

Transferred  to  Troop  H,  this  regiment,  July  isth. 
Brandon,  Perry  H Private Douglass,  Kan. 

Transferred  to  Troop  D,  this  regiment,  July  2gth. 
David  M.  Goodrich ist  Lieutenant.  Akron,  O. 

Transferred  from  Troop  D,  this  regiment,  Aug.  nth.     Transferred   to  Troop  D,   this 
regiment,  Sept.  sth. 


264 


MUSTER-OUT   ROLL 

DIED. 

Hay  wood,  Henry Sergeant Police  Department,  New  York  City. 

Abdomen  ;   Mauser  rifle;  killed,  July  zd.    Wounded,  July  ist ;  died  in  Division  Hospi 
tal,  Cuba,  July  2,  1^98,  from  bullet  wound  received  July  ist. 

Tves,  Gerard  M Private New  York 

Died  at  his  home,  338  W.  jist  St.,  New  York  City  (date  not  known),  from  typhoid 
fever. 

Tiffany,  William Lieutenant New  York  City. 

Died  of  fever. 

DESERTED. 

Staley,  Frank Private 

Deserted  from  troop  at  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  May  ist 

Curzon Private 

Deserted  from  detachment  at  Tampa,  Fla.,  June  i3th. 

PROMOTED. 

Jenkins,  Micah  J Major Youngs  Island,  S.  C. 

Promoted  to  Major,  Aug.  n,  1898. 


TROOP    L. 
CAPTAIN  RICHARD  C.  DAY. 

Richard  C.  Day Captain Vinita,  I.  T. 

Shot  through  left  shoulder  on  line  of  duty  at  San  Juan.     Left  shoulder  and  arm, 
severe  ;  Mauser  rifle. 

John  R.  Thomas ist  Lieutenant Muscogee,  I.  T. 

G.  S.  wound  in  right  lower  leg  at  Las  Guasimas,  June  24th.     G.  S.  right  leg. 

Frank  P.  Hayes 2d  Lieutenant San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Elhanan  W.  Bucklin ist  Sergeant Jamestown,  N.  Y. 

Jerome  W.  Henderlider Sergeant Saranac,  Mich. 

vVilliam  M.  Simms Sergeant Vinita,  I.  T. 

Wounded  at  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898,  in  line  of  duty.     Leg ;  Mauser  rifle. 
Joe  A.  Kline Sergeant Vinita,  I.  T. 

Wounded  at  San  Juan,  July  ist,  in  line  of  duty.     Leg  ;  Mauser  rifle. 
William  W.  Carpenter Sergeant.  ...    Vinita,  I.  T. 

Wounded  at  San  Juan,  July  ist,  in  line  of  duty.     Left  thigh  ;  Mauser  rifle. 

James  McKay Sergeant Vinita,  I.  T. 

Dillwyn  M.  Bell Sergeant Guthrie,  O.  T. 

Hurt  in  [back  by  fragment  of  shell  at  El    Paso,  July  ist.     Contusion  back,    slight; 
shrapnel. 

James  E.  McGuire Sergeant Chelsea,  I.  T. 

George  H.  Seaver Corporal Muscogee,  I.  T. 

Wounded  at   El   Poso,  July  2,  1898,  in  line  of  duty.     Right  foot,  slight  •  Mauser 
rifle. 

John  W.  Davis Corporal Vinita,  I.  T. 

Wounded  at  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898.     Right  leg  and  arm  ;  Mauser  rifle. 
Samuel  G.  Davis Corporal Sardis,  Ark. 

Wounded  at  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898. 

265 


APPENDIX   A 


Bud  Parnell Corporal Muscogee,  I.  T. 

J oseph  J.  Roger Corporal Tillou,  Ark. 

Wounded  at  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898.     Abdomen  and  arm  ;  Mauser  rifle. 

George  B.  Dunnigan Corporal Vinita,  I.  T. 

Maynard  R.  Williams Corporal Fairland,  I.  T. 

Elliot  C.  Cowdin Corporal New  York  City. 

Mike  Kinney Blacksmith Imlay,  Mich. 

John  R.  Kean Farrier. Maxwell,  Ont. 

Wounded  at  Las  Guasimas,  June  24th.     G.  S.  left  shoulder  and  lungs. 

Nicholas  H.  Cochran Wagoner Vinita,  I.  T. 

Guy  M.  Babcock Saddler Cherry ville,  Kan. 

Thomas  F.  Meagher Trumpeter Muscogee,  I.  T. 

Wounded  at  Las  Guasimas,  June  24th.     G.  S.  left  forearm. 
Frank  R.  McDonald Trumpeter Oolagah,  I.  T. 

Wounded  at  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898.     Head  ;  Mauser  rifle. 


TROOPERS. 


Adair,  John  M.,  Claremore,  I.  T. 
Benson,  Victor  H. 
Carey,  Oren  E..  Clonau,  la. 
Chilcoot,  Frederick,  Howels,  Neb. 
Cook,  James,  Cherokee  City,  Ark. 
Cruse,  James,  St.  Joe,  Ark. 
Culver,  Ed.,  Muscogee,  I.  T. 

Wounded  at  Las  Guasimas,  June  24th. 

G.  S.  breast. 

Davis,  James  C.,  Waggone,  I.  T. 
Damet,  John  P.,  Alexander,  S.  D. 

Wounded  at  Las  Guasimas,  June  2410. 

G.  S.  left  shoulder. 
Dennis,  David  C.,  Nelson,  Mo. 
Dobson,    William     H.,     Muscogee. 

I.  T. 

Ennis,  Richard  L.,  Cornell,  111. 
Evans,  James  R.,  Baldwin,  Ark. 
Gilmore,  Maurice  E.,  Muscogee,  I. 

Haley,  Robert  M.,  Wagoner,  I.  T. 
Hawkins,  Charles  D.,  Vinita,  I.  T. 
Heagert,  Rudolph,  Vinita,  I.  T. 
Holderman,  Bert.  T.,  Artopa,  Kan. 
Hughes,  Frank,  Vinita,  I.  T. 
Hughes,  William  E.,  Vinita,  I.  T. 
Isbell,  Thomas  J.,  Vinita,  I.  T. 

Wounded  at  Las  Guasimas,  June  25th. 

G.  S.  neck,  hip,  and  thumb. 
Jones,  Levi,  Vinita,  I.  T. 
Johns,  William  S.,  Hemasville,  Mo. 
Kinkade;  Elyah  S.,  Muscogee,  I.  T. 
Knox,  Robert  G.,  Clinton,  La. 
Lawrence,  Richard,  La  Porte,  Ind. 
Lane,  Edward  K.,  Chetopa,  Kan. 
Lane,  Sanford  J.,  Saupulpa,  I.  T. 
Lentz,  Edward,  Bowling  Green,  O. 


Lewis,  Frank  A.,  Newark,  N.  J. 
Little,  Rollie  L.,  West  Fork,  Ark. 
McDonald,  Asa  W.,  Bearing  Cross, 

Ark. 

McCamish,  Andrew  L.,  Bethel,  Kan. 
Miller,  John  S.,  Garrison,  Neb. 
Miller,  Boot,  Chelsea,  I.  T. 
Moore,  John  J.,  Vinita,  I.  T. 
Oskison,  Richard  L.,  Vinita,  I.  T. 

Wounded  at  San  Juan.  July  ist.     Left 

leg  ;  Mauser  rifle. 

Owens,  Edward  L.,  Vinita,  I.  T. 
Parker,  Ora  E.,  Dickins,  la. 

Wounded  near  Santiago  de  Cuba,  July 
i,  2,  or  3,  1898.  Right  thigh,  severe  ; 
shrapnel. 

Pulley,  William  O.,  Marion,  111. 
Philpot,  Leigh  T. ,  Bryson,  Ky. 
Poe,  Nathaniel  M.,  Adair,  I.  T. 

Wounded  at  Las  Guasimas,  June  24th. 

G.  S.  foot. 

Price,  Benjamin  W.,  Eufaula,  I.  T. 
Rich,  Allen  K.,  Fort  Gibson,  I.  T. 
Robertson,  George  W.,   Muscogee, 

Robinson,  Frank  P.,  Borbora,  Kan. 
Russell,  Daniel,  Goodland,  I.  T. 
Scobey,    Arthur    E.,    Willis    Point, 

Tex. 

Wounded  at  San  Juan    Hill,   June  i, 

1898.    Right  hand  ;  Mauser  rifle. 
Sharp,  Walter  L.,  Chicago,  111. 
Skelton,    James   W.,  Trinity   Mills, 

Tex. 

Smith,  Bert.,  Vinita,  I.  T. 
Smith,  Sylvester  S.,  Vinita,  I.  T. 
Stefens,  Luke  B.,  Rio  Vista,  I.  T. 


266 


MUSTER-OUT   ROLL 


Stidham,  Theodore  E.,  Eufaula,  I.  T.  Whitney,  Schuyler  C.,  Pryor  Creek, 

Swearinger,  George,  Maysville,  Mo.  I.  T. 

Taylor,  Warren  P.,  Hillsboro,  Tex  Wounded  at  Las  Guasimas,  June  24th. 

Thompson,  Sylvester  V.  G.  S.  neck. 

Wounded  at  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898.  Wilkins,  George  W.,  Vinita,  I.  T. 

Left  leg  and  arm  ;  Mauser  rifle.  Wilson,  James  E.,  Madrid,  Mo. 

Wetmore,     Robert    C.,    Montclair,  Winn,    Arthur    N.,     Muscogee,    L 

DISCHARGED. 

Hutchinson,  Charles  A Private 

Price,  Walter  W Private 

Hayes,  Frank  P ist  Sergeant 

Discharged,  June  24,  1898,  to  enable  him  to  accept  commission  as  ad  Lieut,  in  ist 
"   Vol.  Ci 


U.  S.  Vol.  Cav. 


TRANSFERRED. 


Robert,  William  J Private 

Transferred  to  Troop  M,  June  7,  1898,  by  order  Col.  Wood. 

Byrne,  John Sergeant Vinita,  I.  T. 

Transferred  to  Troop  F,  July  10,  1898,  by  order  Col.  Wood. 

DIED. 

Capron,  Allyn  K Captain Fort  Sill,  Okla. 

Killed  at  battle  of  Las  Guasimas,  June  24,  1898.     G.  S.  lungs. 
Fish,  Hamilton Sergeant New  York  City. 

Killed  at  battle  of  Las  Guasimas,  June  24,  1898.     G.  S.  heart. 
Dawson,  Tilden  W Private Vinita,  I.  T. 

Killed  at  battle  of  Las  Guasimas,  June  24,  1898.     G.  S.  head. 
Santo,  William  T Private Chouteau,  I.  T. 

Killed  at  battle  of  San  Juan,  July  i,  1898.     Mauser  rifle. 
Hendricks,  Milo  A Private Muscogee,  I.  T. 

Mortally  wounded  at  battle  of  San  Juan,  July  ist ;  died  in  hospital,  July  6,  1898. 

Mauser  rifle. 
Enyart,  Silas  R, Private Sapulpa,  I.  T. 

Mortally  'Abounded  at  San  Juan,  July  ist ;  died  in  hospital,  July  6,  1898. 


APPENDIX  A 


TROOP  M. 


CAPTAIN  ROBERT  H.  BRUCE. 

Robert  H.  Bruce Captain Mineola,  Tex. 

Ode  C.  Nichols ist  Lieutenant Durant,  I.  T. 

Albert  S.  Johnson  2d  Lieutenant Oklahoma  City,  O.  T. 

Harry  E.  Berner ist  Sergeant Durant,  I.  T. 

Joseph  L.  Smith Q.  M.  Sergeant    ..Caddo,  I.  T. 

William  E.  Lloyd Sergeant Durant,  I.  T. 

Frederick  E.  Nichols Sergeant Purcell,  I.  T. 

Morency  A.  Hawkins Sergeant Tioga,.Tex. 

Wilbert  L.  Poole Sergeant Durant,  I.  T. 

Otis  B.  Weaver Sergeant Mt.  Vernon,  Tex. 

Henry  C.  Foley Sergeant Muscogee,  I.  T. 

Samuel  Downing Corporal Atoka,  I.  T. 

Charles  S.  Lynch Corporal Caddo,  I.  T. 

John  N.  Jackson Corporal Caddo,  I.  T. 

Frank  U.  Talman Corporal So.  McAlester,  I.  T. 

Hiram  S.  Creech Corporal Durant,  I.  T. 

Charles  J.  Fandru Corporal Caddo,  I.  T. 

Theodore  E.  Schulz Corporal Tampa,  Fla. 

William  G.  Jones Corporal Ardmore,  I.  T. 

Frank  Marion Trumpeter Muscogee,  I.  T. 

Charles  J.  Hokey Trumpeter Krebs,  I.  T. 

John  Me  Mullen Wagoner Ardmore,  I.  T. 

John  Hall Farrier Durant,  I.  T. 

Cragg  Parsons Blacksmith Ardmore,  I.  T. 

Luther  M.  Kiethly Saddler Hartshorn   I.  T. 

Samuel  Young Chief  Cook Caddo,  I.  T. 


TROOPERS. 


Allaun,  Jacob,  Sapulpa,  I.  T. 
Byrd,  Samuel  J.  W.,  Muscogee,  I. 

T. 

Boydstun,  John  F.,  Caddo,  I.  T 
Barlow,  John  W.,  Caddo.  I.  T. 
Barrington,  John  P.,  Ardmore,  I.  T. 
Baird,  Thompson  M.,  Thurber,  Tex. 
Brierty,  Thomas,  Tampa,  Fla. 
Butler,  Peter  L.,  Kiowa,  I.  T. 
Beal,  Andy  R.,  Durant,  I.  T. 
Bruce,  Peter  R.,  Wagoner,  I.  T. 
Brown,  Leon.  Ardmore,  I.  T. 
Barney,  Leland,  Ardmore,  I.  T. 
Burks,  Jesse  S.,  Ardmore,  I.  T. 
Case,  George,  Durant,  I.  T. 
Calhoun,  Wesley,  Durant,  I.  T. 
Carter,  Arthur  E..  Ardmore,  I.  T. 
Garden,  Horace  W.,  Ardmore,  I.  T. 
Cox,  Walter,  Durant.  I.  T. 
Cooper,  Bud  G.,  Muscogee,  I.  T. 


Dorell,  Charles,  Vinita,  I.  T. 
Duping,  Joseph,  Muscogee,  I.  T. 
Flying,  Crawford  D.,  Muscogee,  I. 

Fairman,  Charles  E.,  Ardmore,  I.  T. 
Griffith,  Ezra  E.,  Sapulpa,  I.  T. 
Garland,  George   W.,   Ardmore,   I. 

Hall,  James  T,  Wagoner,  I.  T. 
Hawes,    Frederick    W.,     Dennison, 

Tex. 

Houchin,  Willis  C.,  Durant,  I.  T. 
Hamilton,  Troy,  Hartshorne,  I.  T. 
Howell,  William,  Muscogee,  I.  T. 
Harris,  Chester,  Muscogee,  I.  T. 
Hoffman,  George  B.,  Somerville,  N. 

Johnson,  Bankston,  Caddo,  I.  T. 
Johnson,  Charles  L.,  Ardmore,  I.  T. 
Johnson,  Gordon,  Birmingham,  Ala, 


263 


MUSTER-OUT    ROLL 


Jones,  Charles  L  .  McAlester,  T.  T. 
Keithly,  Ora  E.,  Hartshorn,  I.  T. 
Kings,  John,  McAlester,  I.  T. 
Kearns,  Edward  L.,  Tampa,  Fla. 
Mitchell,  William,  Wagoner,  I.  T. 
Madden,  Charles  E.,  Brooken,  I.  T. 
Murphy.  William  S.,  Caddo,  I.  T. 
McPherren.  Charles  E.,  Caddo,  I.  T. 
Maytubby,  Bud,  Caddo,  I.  T. 
McDaniel,    Thomas  E.,  Muscogee, 

I.  T. 
McPherson,  Charles   E.,  Caddo,  I. 

T. 
Morrell,   Robert  W.,  Elizabeth,  N. 

Owens.  John  M.,  Oologah,  I.  T. 
Pipkins,  Virgil  A.,  Brooken,  I.  T. 
Rouse,  John  L.,  Durant,  I,  T. 
Rose.     Lewis    W.,     Los    Angeles, 

Cal. 

Russell,  Walter  L.,  Caddo,  I.  T. 
Rynerson,  Benjamin  A.,  Durant,  I. 


Reynolds,    Benjamin    F.,    Ardmore, 

Ross,  William  E.,  Ardmore,  I.  T. 
Roberts,  William  J.,  Vinita,  I.  T. 
Sloane,  Samuel  P.,  So.  McAlester. 

I.  T. 

Sykes,  Marion,  Muscogee,  I.  T. 
Stewart,  Henry  J.,  Caddo,  I.  T. 
Thomas,  Jesse  C.,  Caddo,  I.  T. 
Tyler,  Edwin,  Ardmore,  I.  T. 
Vickers,   John  W.,  So.    McAlester, 

Williams,  Benjamin  H.,  So.  Mc 
Alester,  I.  T. 

Williams,  George  W.,  Ardmore,  I. 
T. 

Wolfe,  John  W.,  Ardmore,  I.  T. 

Webster,  David,  Durant,  I.  T. 

Wagner,  John  D.,  Caddo,  I.  T. 

Woog,  Benjamin  B.,  Washington, 
D.  C. 

de  Zychlinski,  William  T., Bismarck, 
N.  D. 


TRANSFERRED. 

Lane,  Sanford  G Trooper Sapulpa,  I.  T. 

Transferred  to  Troop  L  ist  U.  S.  V.  C.,  June  8,  1898,  per  verbal  order  Reg.  Com. 

DIED    OF  DISEASE. 

Kyle,  Yancy Trooper McAlester,  I.  T. 

Died  of  typhoid  fever  at  Tampa,  July  15,  1898.     Final  statements  rendered  and 
settled  per  Capt.  Bruce. 

As  said  above,  this  is  not  a  complete  list  of  the  wounded,  or 
even  of  the  dead,  among  the  troopers.  Moreover,  a  number  of  officers 
and  men  died  from  fever  soon  after  the  regiment  was  mustered  out. 
Twenty-eight  field  and  line  officers  landed  in  Cuba  on  June  22d  ; 
ten  of  them  were  killed  or  wounded  during  the  nine  days  following. 
Of  the  five  regiments  of  regular  cavalry  in  the  division,  one,  the 
Tenth,  lost  eleven  officers  ;  none  of  the  others  lost  more  than  six. 
The  loss  of  the  Rough  Riders  in  enlisted  men  was  heavier  than 
that  of  any  other  regiment  in  the  cavalry  division.  Of  the  nine 
infantry  regiments  in  Kent's  division,  one,  the  Sixth,  lost  eleven 
officers  ;  none  of  the  others  as  many  as  we  did.  None  of  the  nine 
suffered  as  heavy  a  loss  in  enlisted  men,  as  they  were  not  engaged 
at  Las  Guasimas. 

No  other  regiment  in  the  Spanish-American  War  suffered  as 
heavy  a  loss  as  the  First  United  States  Volunteer  Cavalry. 


269 


APPENDIX  B 

[BEFORE  it  was  sent,  this  letter  was  read  to  and  approved 
by  every  officer  of  the  regiment  who  had  served  through 
the  Santiago  campaign.] 

[Copy.] 

CAMP  WIKOFF,  September  10,  1898. 
To  THE  SECRETARY  OF  WAR. 

SIR  :  In  answer  to  the  circular  issued  by  command  of 
Major-General  Shafter  under  date  of  September  8,  1898, 
containing  a  request  for  information  by  the  Adjutant- 
General  of  September  7th,  I  have  the  honor  to  report  as 
follows  : 

I  am  a  little  in  doubt  whether  the  fact  that  on  certain 
occasions  my  regiment  suffered  for  food,  etc.,  should  be 
put  down  to  an  actual  shortage  of  supplies  or  to  general 
defects  in  the  system  of  administration.  Thus,  when  the 
regiment  arrived  in  Tampa  after  a  four  days'  journey  by 
cars  from  its  camp  at  San  Antonio,  it  received  no  food 
whatever  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  as  the  travel  rations 
had  been  completely  exhausted,  food  for  several  of  the 
troops  was  purchased  by  their  officers,  who,  of  course,  have 
not  been  reimbursed  by  the  Government.  In  the  same 
way  we  were  short  one  or  two  meals  at  the  time  of  em 
barking  at  Port  Tampa  on  the  transport  ;  but  this  I  think 
was  due,  not  to  a  failure  in  the  quantity  of  supplies,  but  to 
the  lack  of  system  in  embarkation. 

270 


APPENDIX   B 

As  with  the  other  regiments,  no  information  was  given 
in  advance  what  transports  we  should  take,  or  how  we 
should  proceed  to  get  aboard,  nor  did  anyone  exercise  any 
supervision  over  the  embarkation.  Each  regimental  com 
mander,  so  far  as  I  know,  was  left  to  find  out  as  best  he 
could,  after  he  was  down  at  the  dock,  what  transport  had 
not  been  taken,  and  then  to  get  his  regiment  aboard  it,  if 
he  was  able,  before  some  other  regiment  got  it.  Our  regi 
ment  was  told  to  go  to  a  certain  switch,  and  take  a  train  for 
Port  Tampa  at  twelve  o'clock,  midnight.  The  train  never 
came.  After  three  hours  of  waiting  we  were  sent  to  an 
other  switch,  and  finally  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning 
got  possession  of  some  coal-cars  and  came  down  in  them. 
When  we  reached  the  quay  where  the  embarkation  was 
proceeding,  everything  was  in  utter  confusion.  The  quay 
was  piled  with  stores  and  swarming  with  thousands  of  men 
of  different  regiments,  besides  onlookers,  etc.  The  com 
manding  General,  when  we  at  last  found  him,  told  Col 
onel  Wood  and  myself  that  he  did  not  know  what  ship 
we  were  to  embark  on,  and  that  \ve  must  find  Colonel 
Humphrey,  the  Quartermaster- General.  Colonel  Hum 
phrey  was  not  in  his  office,  and  nobody  knew  where  he 
was.  The  commanders  of  the  different  regiments  were 
busy  trying  to  find  him,  while  their  troops  waited  in  the 
trains,  so  as  to  discover  the  ships  to  which  they  were  allot 
ted — some  of  these  ships  being  at  the  dock  and  some  in 
mid-stream.  After  a  couple  of  hours'  search,  Colonel 
Wood  found  Colonel  Humphrey  and  was  allotted  a  ship. 
Immediately  afterward  I  found  that  it  had  already  been 
allotted  to  two  other  regiments.  It  was  then  coming  to 
the  dock.  Colonel  Wood  boarded  it  in  mid-stream  to  keep 
possession,  while  I  double-quicked  the  men  down  from  the 
cars  and  got  there  just  ahead  of  the  other  two  regiments. 

271 


APPENDIX   B 

One  of  these  regiments,  I  was  afterward  informed,  spent 
the  next  thirty-six  hours  in  cars  in  consequence.  We  suf 
fered  nothing  beyond  the  loss  of  a  couple  of  meals,  which, 
;t  seems  to  me,  can  hardly  be  put  down  to  any  failure  in 
the  quantity  of  supplies  furnished  to  the  troops. 

We  were  two  weeks  on  the  troop-ship  Yucatan,  and  as 
we  were  given  twelve  days'  travel  rations,  we  of  course  fell 
short  toward  the  end  of  the  trip,  but  eked  things  out  with 
some  of  our  field  rations  and  troop  stuff.  The  quality  of 
the  travel  rations  given  to  us  was  good,  except  in  the  im 
portant  item  of  meat.  The  canned  roast  beef  is  worse 
than  a  failure  as  part  of  the  rations,  for  in  effect  it  amounts 
to  reducing  the  rations  by  just  so  much,  as  a  great  majority 
of  the  men  find  it  uneatable.  It  was  coarse,  stringy,  taste 
less,  and  very  disagreeable  in  appearance,  and  so  unpalata 
ble  that  the  effort  to  eat  it  made  some  of  the  men  sick. 
Most  of  the  men  preferred  to  be  hungry  rather  than  eat  it. 
If  cooked  in  a  stew  with  plenty  of  onions  and  potatoes — 
i.e.,  if  only  one  ingredient  in  a  dish  with  other  more  savory 
ingredients — it  could  be  eaten,  especially  if  well  salted  and 
peppered  ;  but,  as  usual  (what  I  regard  as  a  great  mistake), 
no  salt  was  issued  with  the  travel  rations,  and  of  course 
no  potatoes  and  onions.  There  were  no  cooking  facilities 
on  the  transport.  When  the  men  obtained  any,  it  was  by 
bribing  the  cook.  Toward  the  last,  when  they  began  to 
draw  on  the  field  rations,  they  had  to  eat  the  bacon  raw. 
On  the  return  trip  the  same  difficulty  in  rations  obtained — 
i.e. ,  the  rations  were  short  because  the  men  could  not  eat 
the  canned  roast  beef,  and  had  no  salt.  We  purchased  of 
the  ship's  supplies  some  flour  and  pork  and  a  little  rice  for 
the  men,  so  as  to  relieve  the  shortage  as  much  as  possible, 
and  individual  sick  men  were  helped  from  private  sources 
by  officers,  who  themselves  ate  what  they  had  purchased 

372 


APPENDIX   B 

in  Santiago.  As  nine-tenths  of  the  men  were  more  or  less 
sick,  the  unattractiveness  of  the  travel  rations  was  doubly 
unfortunate.  It  would  have  been  an  excellent  thing  for 
their  health  if  we  could  have  had  onions  and  potatoes,  and 
means  for  cooking  them.  Moreover,  the  water  was  very 
bad,  and  sometimes  a  cask  was  struck  that  was  positively 
undrinkable.  The  lack  of  ice  for  the  weak  and  sickly  men 
was  very  much  felt.  Fortunately  there  was  no  epidemic, 
for  there  was  not  a  place  on  the  ship  where  patients  could 
have  been  isolated. 

During  the  month  following  the  landing  of  the  army  in 
Cuba  the  food-supplies  were  generally  short  in  quantity, 
and  in  quality  were  never  such  as  were  best  suited  to  men 
undergoing  severe  hardships  and  great  exposure  in  an  un 
healthy  tropical  climate.  The  rations  were,  I  understand, 
the  same  as  those  used  in  the  Klondike.  In  this  connec 
tion,  I  call  especial  attention  to  the  report  of  Captain 
Brown,  made  by  my  orders  when  I  was  Brigade-Com 
mander,  and  herewith  appended.  I  also  call  attention  to 
the  report  of  my  own  Quartermaster.  Usually  we  re 
ceived  full  rations  of  bacon  and  hardtack.  The  hard 
tack,  however,  was  often  mouldy,  so  that  parts  of  cases, 
and  even  whole  cases,  could  not  be  used.  The  bacon  was 
usually  good.  But  bacon  and  hardtack  'make  poor  food 
for  men  toiling  and  fighting  in  trenches  under  the 
summer  sun  of  the  tropics.  The  ration  of  coffee  was  often 
short,  and  that  of  sugar  generally  so  ;  we  rarely  got  any 
vegetables.  Under  these  circumstances  the  men  lost 
strength  steadily,  and  as  the  fever  speedily  attacked  them, 
they  suffered  from  being  reduced  to  a  bacon  and  hardtack 
diet.  So  much  did  the  shortage  of  proper  food  tell  upon 
their  health  that  again  and  again  officers  were  compelled 
to  draw  upon  their  private  purses,  or  upon  the  Red  Cross 

37J 


APPENDIX   B 

Society,  to  make  good  the  deficiency  of  the  Government 
supply.  Again  and  again  we  sent  down  improvised  pack- 
trains  composed  of  officers'  horses,  of  captured  Spanish 
cavalry  ponies,  or  of  mules  which  had  been  shot  or  aban 
doned  but  were  cured  by  our  men.  These  expeditions — 
sometimes  under  the  Chaplain,  sometimes  under  the  Quar 
termaster,  sometimes  under  myself,  and  occasionally  under 
a  trooper — would  go  to  the  sea- coast  or  to  the  Red  Cross 
head-quarters,  or,  after  the  surrender,  into  the  city  of  San 
tiago,  to  get  food  both  for  the  well  and  the  sick.  The 
Red  Cross  Society  rendered  invaluable  aid.  For  example, 
on  one  of  these  expeditions  I  personally  brought  up  600 
pounds  of  beans  ;  on  another  occasion  I  personally  brought 
up  500  pounds  of  rice,  800  pounds  of  cornmeal,  200 
pounds  of  sugar,  100  pounds  of  tea,  100  pounds  of  oatmeal, 
5  barrels  of  potatoes,  and  two  of  onions,  with  cases  of 
canned  soup  and  condensed  milk  for  the  sick  in  hospitals. 
Every  scrap  of  the  food  thus  brought  up  was  eaten  with 
avidity  by  the  soldiers,  and  put  new  heart  and  strength 
into  them.  It  was  only  our  constant  care  of  the  men  in 
this  way  that  enabled  us  to  keep  them 'in  any  trim  at  all. 
As  for  the  sick  in  the  hospital,  unless  we  were  able  from 
outside  sources  to  get  them  such  simple  delicacies  as  rice 
and  condensed  milk,  they  usually  had  the  alternative  of 
eating  salt  pork  and  hardtack  or  going  without.  After 
each  fight  we  got  a  good  deal  of  food  from  the  Spanish 
camps  in  the  way  of  beans,  peas,  and  rice,  together  with 
green  coffee,  all  of  which  the  men  used  and  relished 
greatly.  In  some  respects  the  Spanish  rations  were  prefer 
able  to  ours,  notably  in  the  use  of  rice.  After  we  had 
been  ashore  a  month  the  supplies  began  to  come  in  in 
abundance,  and  we  then  fared  very  well.  Up  to  that  time 
the  nxen  were  under-fed,  during  the  very  weeks  when  the 

274 


APPENDIX   B 

heaviest  drain  was  being  made  upon  their  vitality,  and  the 
deficiency  was  only  partially  supplied  through  the  aid  of 
the  Red  Cross,  and  out  of  the  officers'  pockets  and  the 
pockets  of  various  New  York  friends  who  sent  us  money 
Before,  during,  and  immediately  after  the  fights  of  June 
24th  and  July  ist,  we  were  very  short  of  even  the  bacon 
and  hardtack.  About  July  14111,  when  the  heavy  rains 
interrupted  communication,  we  were  threatened  with  fam 
ine,  as  we  were  informed  that  there  was  not  a  day's  supply 
of  provisions  in  advance  nearer  than  the  sea-coast  ;  and 
another  twenty-four  hours'  rain  would  have  resulted  in  a 
complete  break-down  of  communications,  so  that  for  sev 
eral  days  we  should  have  been  reduced  to  a  diet  of  mule- 
meat  and  mangos.  At  this  time,  in  anticipation  of  such  a 
contingency,  by  foraging  and  hoarding  we  got  a  little 
ahead,  so  that  when  our  supplies  were  cut  down  for  a  day 
or  two  we  did  not  surfer  much,  and  were  even  able  to  fur 
nish  a  little  aid  to  the  less  fortunate  First  Illinois  Regiment, 
which  was  camped  next  to  us.  Members  of  the  Illinois 
Regiment  were  offering  our  men  $i  apiece  for  hardtacks. 

I  wish  to  bear  testimony  to  the  energy  and  capacity  of 
Colonel  Weston,  the  Commissary-General  with  the  expedi 
tion.  If  it  had  not  been  for  his  active  aid,  we  should  have 
fared  worse  than  we  did.  All  that  he  could  do  for  us,  he 
most  cheerfully  did. 

As  regards  the  clothing,  I  have  to  say:  As  to  the  first 
issue,  the  blue  shirts  were  excellent  of  their  kind,  but  al 
together  too  hot  for  Cuba.  They  are  just  what  I  used  to 
wear  in  Montana.  The  leggings  were  good ;  the  shoes 
were  very  good  ;  the  undershirts  not  very  good,  and  the 
drawers  bad — being  of  heavy,  thick  canton  flannel,  difficult 
to  wash,  and  entirely  unfit  for  a  tropical  climate.  The 
trousers  were  poor,  wearing  badly.  We  did  not  get  any 

275 


APPENDIX   B 

other  clothing  until  we  were  just  about  to  leave  Cuba,  by 
which  time  most  of  the  men  were  in  tatters  ;  some  being 
actually  barefooted,  while  others  were  in  rags,  or  dressed 
partly  in  clothes  captured  from  the  Spaniards,  who  were 
much  more  suitably  clothed  for  the  climate  and  place  than 
we  were.  The  ponchos  were  poor,  being  inferior  to  the 
Spanish  rain-coats  which  we  captured. 

As  to  the  medical  matters,  I  invite  your  attention,  not 
only  to  the  report  of  Dr.  Church  accompanying  this  letter, 
but  to  the  letters  of  Captain  Llewellen,  Captain  Day,  and 
Lieutenant  Mcllhenny.  I  could  readily  produce  a  hun 
dred  letters  on  the  lines  of  the  last  three.  In  actual  medi 
cal  supplies,  we  had  plenty  of  quinine  and  cathartics.  We 
were  apt  to  be  short  on  other  medicines,  and  we  had  noth 
ing  whatever  in  the  way  of  proper  nourishing  food  for  our 
sick  and  wounded  men  during  most  of  the  time,  except 
what  we  were  able  to  get  from  the  Red  Cross  or  purchase 
with  our  own  money.  We  had  no  hospital  tent  at  all  un 
til  I  was  able  to  get  a  couple  of  tarpaulins.  During  much 
of  the  time  my  own  fly  was  used  for  the  purpose.  We  had  no 
cots  until  by  individual  effort  we  obtained  a  few,  only  three 
or  four  days  before  we  left  Cuba.  During  most  of  the  time 
the  sick  men  lay  on  the  muddy  ground  in  blankets,  if  they 
had  any ;  if  not,  they  lay  without  them  until  some  of  the 
well  men  cut  their  own  blankets  in  half.  Our  regimental 
surgeon  very  soon  left  us,  and  Dr.  Church,  who  was  repeat 
edly  taken  down  with  the  fever,  was  left  alone — save  as  he 
was  helped  by  men  detailed  from  among  the  troopers. 
Both  he  and  the  men  thus  detailed,  together  with  the  reg 
ular  hospital  attendants,  did  work  of  incalculable  service. 
We  had  no  ambulance  with  the  regiment.  On  the  battle 
field  our  wounded  were  generally  sent  to  the  rear  in  mule- 
wagons,  or  on  litters  which  were  improvised.  At  other 

376 


APPENDIX   B 

times  we  would  hire  the  little  springless  Cuban  carts.  But 
of  course  the  wounded  suffered  greatly  in  such  convey 
ances,  and  moreover,  often  we  could  not  get  a  wheeled 
vehicle  of  any  kind  to  transport  even  the  most  serious 
cases.  On  the  day  of  the  big  fight,  July  ist,  as  far  as  we 
could  find  out,  there  were  but  two  ambulances  with  the 
army  in  condition  to  work — neither  of  which  did  we  ever 
see.  Later  there  were,  as  we  were  informed,  thirteen  all 
told  ;  and  occasionally  after  the  surrender,  by  vigorous 
representations  and  requests,  we  would  get  one  assigned  to 
take  some  peculiarly  bad  cases  to  the  hospital.  Ordinarily, 
however,  we  had  to  do  with  one  of  the  makeshifts  enumer 
ated  above.  On  several  occasions  I  visited  the  big  hos 
pitals  in  the  rear.  Their  condition  was  frightful  beyond 
description  from  lack  of  supplies,  lack  of  medicine,  lack 
of  doctors,  nurses,  and  attendants,  and  especially  from  lack 
of  transportation.  The  wounded  and  sick  who  were  sent 
back  suffered  so  much  that,  whenever  possible,  they  re 
turned  to  the  front.  Finally  my  brigade  commander, 
General  Wood,  ordered,  with  my  hearty  acquiescence, 
that  only  in  the  direst  need  should  any  men  be  sent  to  the 
rear — no  matter  what  our  hospital  accommodations  at  the 
front  might  be.  The  men  themselves  preferred  to  suffer 
almost  anything  lying  alone  in  their  little  shelter-tents, 
rather  than  go  back  to  the  hospitals  in  the  rear.  I  invite 
attention  to  the  accompanying  letter  of  Captain  Llew- 
ellen  in  relation  to  the  dreadful  condition  of  the  wounded 
on  some  of  the  transports  taking  them  North. 

The  greatest  trouble  we  had  was  with  the  lack  of  trans 
portation.  Under  the  order  issued  by  direction  of  Gen 
eral  Miles  through  the  Adjutant-General  on  or  about  May 
8th,  a  regiment  serving  as  infantry  in  the  field  was  entitled 
to  twenty-five  wagons.  We  often  had  one,  often  none; 

277 


APPENDIX   B 

sometimes  two,  and  never  as  many  as  three.  We  had  a 
regimental  pack-train,  but  it  was  left  behind  at  Tampa. 
During  most  of  the  time  our  means  of  transportation  were 
chiefly  the  improvised  pack-trains  spoken  of  above  ;  but  as 
the  mules  got  well  they  were  taken  away  from  us,  and  so 
were  the  captured  Spanish  cavalry  horses.  Whenever  we 
shifted  camp,  we  had  to  leave  most  of  our  things  behind, 
so  that  the  night  before  each  fight  was  marked  by  our 
sleeping  without  tentage  and  with  very  little  food,  so  far  as 
officers  were  concerned,  as  everything  had  to  be  sacrificed  to 
getting  up  what  ammunition  and  medical  supplies  we  had. 
Colonel  Wood  seized  some  mules,  and  in  this  manner  got 
up  the  medical  supplies  before  the  fight  of  June  24th,  when 
for  three  days  the  officers  had  nothing  but  what  they  wore. 
There  was  a  repetition  of  this,  only  in  worse  form,  before 
and  after  the  fight  of  July  ist.  Of  course  much  of  this 
was  simply  a  natural  incident  of  war,  but  a  great  deal 
could  readily  have  been  avoided  if  we  had  had  enough 
transportation;  and  I  was  sorry  not  to  let  my  men  be  as 
comfortable  as  possible  and  rest  as  much  as  possible  just 
before  going  into  a  fight  when,  as  on  July  ist  and  2d,  they 
might  have  to  be  forty-eight  hours  with  the  minimum 
quantity  of  food  and  sleep.  The  fever  began  to  make 
heavy  ravages  among  our  men  just  before  the  surrender, 
and  from  that  time  on  it  became  a  most  serious  matter  to 
shift  camp,  with  sick  and  ailing  soldiers,  hardly  able  to 
walk — not  to  speak  of  carrying  heavy  burdens — when  we 
had  no  transportation.  Not  more  than  half  of  the  men 
could  carry  their  rolls,  and  yet  these,  with  the  officers'  bag 
gage  and  provisions,  the  entire  hospital  and  its  appurte 
nances,  etc.,  had  to  be  transported  somehow.  It  was  usu 
ally  about  three  days  after  we  reached  a  new  camp  before 
the  necessaries  which  had  been  left  behind  could  be 

278 


APPENDIX   B 

brought  up,  and  during  these  three  days  we  had  to  get 
along  as  best  we  could.  The  entire  lack  of  transportation 
at  first  resulted  in  leaving  most  of  the  troop  mess-kits  on 
the  beach,  and  we  were  never  able  to  get  them.  The  men 
cooked  in  the  few  utensils  they  could  themselves  carry. 
This  rendered  it  impossible  to  boil  the  drinking  water. 
Closely  allied  to  the  lack  of  transportation  was  the  lack  of 
means  to  land  supplies  from  the  transports. 

In  my  opinion,  the  deficiency  in  transportation  was  the 
worst  evil  with  which  we  had  to  contend,  serious  though 
some  of  the  others  were.  I  have  never  served  before,  so 
have  no  means  of  comparing  this  with  previous  campaigns. 
I  was  often  told  by  officers  who  had  seen  service  against 
the  Indians  that,  relatively  to  the  size  of  the  army,  and 
the  character  of  the  country,  we  had  only  a  small  fraction 
of  the  transportation  always  used  in  the  Indian  campaigns. 
As  far  as  my  regiment  was  concerned,  we  certainly  did  not 
have  one-third  of  the  amount  absolutely  necessary,  if  it  was 
to  be  kept  in  fair  condition,  and  we  had  to  partially  make 
good  the  deficiency  by  the  most  energetic  resort  to  all 
kinds  of  makeshifts  and  expedients. 

Yours  respectfully, 
(Signed)  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT, 

Colonel  First  United  States  Cavalry. 
Forwarded  through  military  channels. 
(5  enclosures.) 

First  Endorsement. 

HEAD-QUARTERS  FIFTH  ARMY  CORPS. 
CAMP  WIKOFF,  September  18,  1898. 
Respectfully  forwarded   to  the  Adjutant-General  of  the 
Army. 

(Signed)  WILLIAM  R.  SHAFTER, 

Major-  General  Commanding. 
279 


APPENDIX  C 

* 

[THE  following  is  the  report  of  the  Associated  Press 
correspondent  of  the  "round-robin"  incident.  It  is 
literally  true  in  every  detail.  I  was  present  when  he  was 
handed  both  letters ;  he  was  present  while  they  were  being 
written.] 

SANTIAGO  DE  CUBA,  August  3d  (delayed  in  transmis 
sion). — Summoned  by  Major-General  Shafter,  a  meeting 
was  held  here  this  morning  at  head -quarters,  and  in  the 
presence  of  every  commanding  and  medical  officer  of  the 
Fifth  Army  Corps,  General  Shafter  read  a  cable  message 
from  Secretary  Alger,  or4ering  him,  on  the  recommenda 
tion  of  Surgeon-General  Sternberg,  to  move  the  army  into 
the  interior,  to  San  Luis,  where  it  is  healthier. 

As  a  result  of  the  conference  General  Shafter  will  insist 
upon  the  immediate  withdrawal  of  the  army  North. 

As  an  explanation  of  the  situation  the  following  letter 
from  Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt,  commanding  the  First 
Cavalry,  to  General  Shafter,  was  handed  by  the  latter  to 
the  correspondent  of  The  Associated  Press  for  publication : 

MAJOR-GENERAL  SHAFTER. 

SIR  :  In  a  meeting  of  the  general  and  medical  officers 
called  by  you  at  the  Palace  this  morning  we  were  all,  as 
you  know,  unanimous  in  our  views  of  what  should  be  done 
with  the  army.  To  keep  us  here,  in  the  opinion  of  every 
officer  commanding  a  division  or  a  brigade,  will  simply 
involve  the  destruction  of  thousands.  There  is  no  possible 

280 


APPENDIX   C 

reason  for  not  shipping  practically  the  entire  command 
North  at  once. 

Yellow-fever  cases  are  very  few  in  the  cavalry  division, 
where  I  command  one  of  the  two  brigades,  and  not  one 
true  case  of  yellow  fever  has  occurred  in  this  division, 
except  among  the  men  sent  to  the  hospital  at  Siboney, 
where  they  have,  I  believe,  contracted  it. 

But  in  this  division  there  have  been  1,500  cases  of 
malarial  fever.  Hardly  a  man  has  yet  died  from  it,  but 
the  whole  command  is  so  weakened  and  shattered  as  to  be 
ripe  for  dying  like  rotten  sheep,  when  a  real  yellow-fever 
epidemic  instead  of  a  fake  epidemic,  -like  the  present  one, 
strikes  us,  as  it  is  bound  to  do  if  we  stay  here  at  the  height 
of  the  sickness  season,  August  and  the  beginning  of  Sep 
tember.  Quarantine  against  malarial  fever  is  much  like 
quarantining  against  the  toothache. 

All  of  us  are  certain  that  as  soon  as  the  authorities  at 
Washington  fully  appreciate  the  condition  of  the  army, 
we  shall  be  sent  home.  If  we  are  kept  here  it  will  in  all 
human  possibility  mean  an  appalling  disaster,  for  the  sur 
geons  here  estimate  that  over  half  the  army,  if  kept  here 
during  the  sickly  season,  will  die. 

This  is  not  only  terrible  from  the  stand-point  of  the 
individual  lives  lost,  but  it  means  ruin  from  the  stand 
point  of  military  efficiency  of  the  flower  of  the  American 
army,  for  the  great  bulk  of  the  regulars  are  here  with 
you.  Th  sick  list,  large  though  it  is,  exceeding  four 
thousand,  affords  but  a  faint  index  of  the  debilitation  of 
the  army.  Not  twenty  per  cent,  are  fit  for  active  work. 

Six  weeks  on  the  North  Maine  coast,  for  instance,  or 
elsewhere  where  the  yellow-fever  germ  cannot  possibly 
propagate,  would  make  us  all  as  fit  as  fighting-cocks,  as 
able  as  we  are  eager  to  take  a  leading  part  in  the  great 
campaign  against  Havana  in  the  fall,  even  if  we  are  not 
allowed  to  try  Porto  Rico. 

We  can  be  moved  North,  if  moved  at  once,  with  ab 
solute  safety  to  the  country,  although,  of  course,  it  would 
have  been  infinitely  better  if  we  had  been  moved  North  or 
to  Porto  Rico  two  weeks  ago.  If  there  were  any  object  in 

281 


APPENDIX   C 

keeping  us  here,  we  would  face  yellow  fever  with  as  much 
indifference  as  we  faced  bullets.     But  there  is  no  object. 

The  four  immune  regiments  ordered  here  are  sufficient 
to  garrison  the  city  and  surrounding  towns,  and  there  is 
absolutely  nothing  for  us  to  do  here,  and  there  has  not 
been  since  the  city  surrendered.  It  is  impossible  to  move 
into  the  interior.  Every  shifting  of  camp  doubles  the  sick- 
rate  in  our  present  weakened  condition,  and,  anyhow,  the 
interior  is  rather  worse  than  the  coast,  as  I  have  found  by 
actual  reconnoissance.  Our  present  camps  are  as  healthy 
as  any  camps  at  this  end  of  the  island  can  be. 

I  write  only  because  I  cannot  see  our  men,  who  have 
fought  so  bravely  and  who  have  endured  extreme  hardship 
and  danger  so  uncomplainingly,  go  to  destruction  without 
striving  so  far  as  lies  in  me  to  avert  a  doom  as  fearful  as  it 
is  unnecessary  and  undeserved.  Yours  respectfully, 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT, 
Colonel  Commanding  Second  Cavalry  Brigade. 

After  Colonel  Roosevelt  had  taken  the  initiative,  all 
the  American  general  officers  united  in  a  "  round  robin  " 
addressed  to  General  Shafter.  It  reads: 

We,  the  undersigned  officers  commanding  the  various 
brigades,  divisions,  etc.,  of  the  Army  of  Occupation  in 
Cuba,  are  of  the  unanimous  opinion  that  this  army  should 
be  at  once  taken  out  of  the  island  of  Cuba  and  sent  to  some 
point  on  the  Northern  sea-coast  of  the  United  States;  that 
can  be  done  without  danger  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States;  that  yellow  fever  in  the  army  at  present  is  not 
epidemic;  that  there  are  only  a  few  sporadic  cases;  but 
that  the  army  is  disabled  by  malarial  fever  to  the  extent 
that  its  efficiency  is  destroyed,  and  that  it  is  in  a  condition 
to  be  practically  entirely  destroyed  by  an  epidemic  of  yel 
low  fever,  which  is  sure  to  come  in  the  near  future. 

We  know  from  the  reports  of  competent  officers  and 
from  personal  observations  that  the  army  is  unable  to 
move  into  the  interior,  and  that  there  are  no  faci-lities  for 
such  a  move  if  attempted,  and  that  it  could  not  be  attempt 
ed  until  too  late.  Moreover,  the  best  medical  authorities 

282 


APPENDIX   C 

of  the  island  say  that  with  our  present  equipment  we  could 
not  live  in  the  interior  during  the  rainy  season  without 
losses  from  malarial  fever,  which  is  almost  as  deadly  as 
yellow  fever. 

This  army  must  be  moved  at  once,  or  perish.  As  the 
army  can  be  safely  Tjoved  now,  the  persons  responsible  for 
preventing  such  a  move  will  be  responsible  for  the  un 
necessary  loss  of  many  thousands  of  lives. 

Our  opinions  are  the  result  of  careful  personal  obser 
vation,  and  they  are  also  based  on  the  unanimous  opinion 
of  our  medical  officers  with  the  army,  who  understand  the 
situation  absolutely.  J.  FORD  KENT, 

Major- General  Volunteers  Commanding  First  Division,  Fifth 

J.   C.  BATES, 

Major-General  Volunteers  Commanding  Provisional  Division. 

ADNAH  R.   CHAFFEE, 

Major-General  Commanding  Third  Brigade,  Second  Division. 

SAMUEL  S.  SUMMER, 

Brigadier- General    Volunteers    Commanding  First  Brigade, 
Cavalry. 

WILL  LUDLOW, 

Brigadier-General    Volunteers    Commanding  First  Brigade, 
Second  Division. 

ADELBERT  AMES, 

Brigadier-General  Volunteers   Commanding    Third  Brigade, 
First  Division. 

LEONARD  WOOD, 

Brigadier  -  General    Volunteers    Commanding    the    City    of 
Santiago. 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT, 

Colonel  Commanding  Second  Cavalry  Brigade. 

Major  M.  W.  Wood,  the  chief  Surgeon  of  the  First 
Division,  said  :  "  The  army  must  be  moved  North,"  add 
ing,  with  emphasis,  "  or  it  will  be  unable  to  move  itself." 

General  Ames  has  sent  the  following  cable  message  to 
Washington  : 

CHARLES  H.  ALLEN,  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy  : 

This  army  is  incapable,  because  of  sickness,  of  march 
ing  anywhere  except  to  the  transports.  If  it  is  ever  to 
return  to  the  United  States  it  must  do  so  at  once. 

283 


APPENDIX  D 

CORRECTIONS 

IT  has  been  suggested  to  me  that  when  Bucky  O'Neill 
spoke  of  the  vultures  tearing  our  dead,  he  was  thinking  of 
no  modern  poet,  but  of  the  words  of  the  prophet  Ezekiel : 
"  Speak  unto  every  feathered  fowl  ...  ye  shall  eat  the 
flesh  of  the  mighty  and  drink  the  blood  of  the  princes 
of  the  earth. ' ' 

At  San  Juan  the  Sixth  Cavalry  was  under  Major  Lebo, 
a  tried  and  gallant  officer.  I  learn  from  a  letter  of  Lieu 
tenant  McNamee  that  it  was  he,  and  not  Lieutenant  Hart- 
wick,  by  whose  orders  the  troopers  of  the  Ninth  cast  down 
the  fence  to  enable  me  to  ride  my  horse  into  the  lane.  But 
one  of  the  two  lieutenants  of  B  troop  was  overcome  by  the 
heat  that  day;  Lieutenant  Rynning  was  with  his  troop 
until  dark. 

One  night  during  the  siege,  when  we  were  digging 
trenches,  a  curious  stampede  occurred  (not  in  my  own  reg 
iment)  which  it  may  be  necessary  some  time  to  relate. 

Lieutenants  W.  E.  Shipp  and  W.  H.  Smith  were  killed, 
not  far  from  each  other,  while  gallantly  leading  their  troops 
on  the  slope  of  Kettle  Hill.  Each  left  a  widow  and  young 
children. 

Captain  (now  Colonel)  A.  L.  Mills,  the  Brigade  Adju 
tant-General,  has  written  me  some  comments  on  my  ac 
count  of  the  fight  on  July  ist.  It  was  he  himself  who  first 

284 


APPENDIX  D 

brought  me  word  to  advance.  I  then  met  Colonel  Dorst- 
who  bore  the  same  message — as  I  was  getting  the  regiment 
forward.  Captain  Mills  was  one  of  the  officers  I  had  sent 
back  to  get  orders  that  would  permit  me  to  advance ;  he 
met  General  Sumner,  who  gave  him  the  orders,  and  he 
then  returned  to  me.  In  a  letter  to  me  Colonel  Mills  says 
in  part : 

I  reached  the  head  of  the  regiment  as  you  came  out  of 
the  lane  and  gave  you  the  orders  to  enter  the  action.  These 
were  that  you  were  to  move,  with  your  right  resting  along 
the  wire  fence  of  the  lane,  to  the  support  of  the  regular 
cavalry  then  attacking  the  hill  we  were  facing.  "The  red- 
roofed  house  yonder  is  your  objective,"  I  said  to  you.  You 
moved  out  at  once  and  quickly  forged  to  the  front  of  your 
regiment.  I  rode  in  rear,  keeping  the  soldiers  and  troops 
closed  and  in  line  as  well  as  the  circumstances  and  condi 
tions  permitted.  We  had  covered,  I  judge,  from  one-half 
to  two-thirds  the  distance  to  Kettle  Hill  when  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Garlington,  from  our  left  flank,  called  to  me  that 
troops  were  needed  in  the  meadow  across  the  lane.  I  put 
one  troop  (not  three,  as  stated  in  your  account  *)  across 
the  lane  and  went  with  it.  Advancing  with  the  troop,  I 
began  immediately  to  pick  up  troopers  of  the  Ninth  Cavalry 
who  had  drifted  from  their  commands,  and  soon  had  so 
many  they  demanded  nearly  all  my  attention.  With  a  line 
^hus  made  up,  the  colored  troopers  on  the  left  and  yours  on 
the  right,  the  portion  of  Kettle  Hill  on  the  right  of  the  red- 
roofed  house  was  first  carried.  I  very  shortly  thereafter 
had  a  strong  firing-line  established  on  the  crest  nearest  the 
enemy,  from  the  corner  of  the  fence  around  the  house  to 
the  low  ground  on  the  right  of  the  hill,  which  fired  into  the 
strong  line  of  conical  straw  hats,  whose  brims  showed  just 
above  the  edge  of  the  Spanish  trench  directly  west  of  that 
part  of  the  hill.f  These  hats  made  a  fine  target !  I  had 

*  The  other  two  must  have  followed  on  their  own  initiative. 

f  These  were  the  Spaniards  in  the  trenches  we  carried  when  we 
charged  from  Kettle  Hill,  after  the  infantry  had  taken  the  San  Juan 
block-house. 

285 


APPENDIX   D 

placed  a  young  officer  of  your  regiment  in  charge  of  the 
portion  of  the  line  on  top  of  the  hill,  and  was  about  to  go 
to  the  left  to  keep  the  connection  of  the  brigade — Captain 
McBlain,  Ninth  Cavalry,  just  then  came  up  on  the  hill 
from  the  left  and  rear — when  the  shot  struck  that  put  me 
out  of  the  fight. 

There  were  many  wholly  erroneous  accounts  of  the 
Guasimas  fight  published  at  the  time,  for  the  most  part 
written  by  newspaper-men  who  were  in  the  rear  and  utterly 
ignorant  of  what  really  occurred.  Most  of  these  accounts 
possess  a  value  so  purely  ephemeral  as  to  need  no  notice. 
Mr.  Stephen  Bonsai,  however,  in  his  book,  "The  Fight 
for  Santiago,"  has  cast  one  of  them  in  a  more  permanent 
form  ;  and  I  shall  discuss  one  or  two  of  his  statements. 

Mr.  Bonsai  was  not  present  at  the  fight,  and,  indeed,  so 
far  as  I  know,  he  never  at  any  time  was  with  the  cavalry  in 
action.  He  puts  in  his  book  a  map  of  the  supposed  skir 
mish  ground ;  but  it  bears  to  the  actual  scene  of  the  fight  only 
the  well-known  likeness  borne  by  Monmouth  to  Macedon. 
There  was  a  brook  on  the  battle-ground,  and  there  is  a 
brook  in  Mr.  Bonsai's  map.  The  real  brook,  flowing  down 
from  the  mountains,  crossed  the  valley  road  and  ran  down 
between  it  and  the  hill-trail,  going  nowhere  near  the  latter. 
The  Bonsai  brook  flows  at  right  angles  to  the  course  of  the 
real  brook  and  crosses  both  trails — that  is,  it  runs  up  hill. 
It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  the  Bonsai  map  could  have 
been  made  by  any  man  who  had  gone  over  the  hill-trail 
followed  by  the  Rough  Riders  and  who  knew  where  the 
fighting  had  taken  place.  The  position  of  the  Spanish  line 
on  the  Bonsai  map  is  inverted  compared  to  what  it  really 
was. 

On  page  90  Mr.  Bonsai  says  that  in  making  the  "  pre 
cipitate  advance  "  there  was  a  rivalry  between  the  regulars 

285 


APPENDIX   D 

and  Rough  Riders,  which  resulted  in  each  hurrying  reck 
lessly  forward  to  strike  the  Spaniards  first.  On  the  contrary 
The  official  reports  show  that  General  Young's  column 
waited  for  some  time  after  it  got  to  the  Spanish  position,  so 
as  to  allow  the  Rough  Riders  (who  had  the  more  difficult 
trail)  to  come  up.  Colonel  Wood  kept  his  column  walking 
at  a  smart  pace,  merely  so  that  the  regulars  might  not  be 
left  unsupported  when  the  fight  began  ;  and  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  it  began  almost  simultaneously  on  both  wings. 

On  page  91  Mr.  Bonsai  speaks  of  "  The  foolhardy  for 
mation  of  a  solid  column  along  a  narrow  trail,  which 
brought  them  (the  Rough  Riders)  .  .  .  within  point-blank 
range  of  the  Spanish  rifles  and  within  the  unobstructed 
sweep  of  their  machine-guns."  He  also  speaks  as  if  the 
advance  should  have  been  made  with  the  regiment  deployed 
through  the  jungle.  Of  course,  the  only  possible  way  by 
which  the  Rough  Riders  could  have  been  brought  into 
action  in  time  to  support  the  regulars  was  by  advancing  in 
column  along  the  trail  at  a  good  smart  gait.  As  soon  as  our 
advance-guard  came  into  contact  with  the  enemy's  out 
post  we  deployed.  No  firing  began  for  at  least  five  min 
utes  after  Captain  Capron  sent  back  word  that  he  had 
come  upon  the  Spanish  outpost.  At  the  particular  point 
where  this  occurred  there  was  a  dip  in  the  road,  which 
probably  rendered  it,  in  Capron's  opinion,  better  to  keep 
part  of  his  men  in  it.  In  any  event,  Captain  Capron,  who 
was  as  skilful  as  he  was  gallant,  had  ample  time  between 
discovering  the  Spanish  outpost  and  the  outbreak  of  the 
firing  to  arrange  his  troop  in  the  formation  he  deemed 
best.  His  troop  was  not  in  solid  formation  ;  his  men  were 
about  ten  yards  apart.  Of  course,  to  have  walked  forward 
deployed  through  the  jungle,  prior  to  reaching  the  ground 
where  we  were  to  fight,  would  have  been  a  course  of  pro- 

287 


APPENDIX   D 

cedure  so  foolish  as  to  warrant  the  summary  court-martial 
of  any  man  directing  it.  We  could  not  have  made  half  a 
mile  an  hour  in  such  a  formation,  and  would  have  been  at 
least  four  hours  too  late  for  the  fighting. 

On  page  92  Mr.  Bonsai  says  that  Captain  Capron's 
troop  was  ambushed,  and  that  it  received  the  enemy's  fire 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  it  was  expected.  This  is  sim 
ply  not  so.  Before  the  column  stopped  we  had  passed  a 
dead  Cuban,  killed  in  the  preceding  day's  skirmish,  and 
General  Wood  had  notified  me  on  information  he  had  re 
ceived  from  Capron  that  we  might  come  into  contact  with 
the  Spaniards  at  any  moment,  and,  as  I  have  already  said, 
Captain  Capron  discovered  the  Spanish  outpost,  and  we 
halted  and  partially  deployed  the  column  before  the  firing 
began.  We  were  at  the  time  exactly  where  we  had  ex 
pected  to  come  across  the  Spaniards.  Mr.  Bonsai,  after 
speaking  of  L  Troop,  adds:  "  The  remaining  troops  of 
the  regiment  had  travelled  more  leisurely,  and  more  than 
half  an  hour  elapsed  before  they  came  up  to  Capron's  sup 
port."  As  a  matter  of  fact,  all  the  troops  travelled  at  ex 
actly  the  same  rate  of  speed,  although  there  were  stragglers 
from  each,  and  when  Capron  halted  and  sent  back  word 
that  he  had  come  upon  the  Spanish  outpost,  the  entire 
regiment  closed  up,  halted,  and  most  of  the  men  sat  down. 
We  then,  some  minutes  after  the  first  word  had  been  re 
ceived,  and  before  any  firing  had  begun,  received  instruc 
tions  to  deploy.  I  had  my  right  wing  partially  deployed 
before  the  first  shots  between  the  outposts  took  place. 
Within  less  than  three  minutes  I  had  G  Troop,  with  Lle- 
wellen,  Greenway,  and  Leahy,  and  one  platoon  of  K  Troop 
under  Kane,  on  the  firing-line,  and  it  was  not  until  after 
we  reached  the  firing-line  that  the  heavy  volley-firing  from 
the  Spaniards  began. 

288 


APPENDIX  D 

On  page  94  Mr.  Bonsai  says:  "A  vexatious  delay  oc 
curred  before  the  two  independent  columns  could  commu 
nicate  and  advance  with  concerted  action.  .  .  .  When 
the  two  columns  were  brought  into  communication  it  was 
immediately  decided  to  make  a  general  attack  upon  the 
Spanish  position.  .  .  .  With  this  purpose  in  view,  the 
following  disposition  of  the  troops  was  made  before  the 
advance  of  the  brigade  all  along  the  line  was  ordered." 
There  was  no  communication  between  the  two  columns 
prior  to  the  general  attack,  nor  was  any  order  issued  for 
the  advance  of  the  brigade  all  along  the  line.  The  attacks 
were  made  wholly  independently,  and  the  first  communi 
cation  between  the  columns  was  when  the  right  wing  of 
the  Rough  Riders  in  the  course  of  their  advance  by  their 
firing  dislodged  the  Spaniards  from  the  hill  across  the 
ravine  to  the  right,  and  then  saw  the  regulars  come  up  that 
hill. 

Mr.  Bonsai's  account  of  what  occurred  among  the  regu 
lars  parallels  his  account  of  what  occurred  among  the 
Rough  Riders.  He  states  that  the  squadron  of  the  Tenth 
Cavalry  delivered  the  main  attack  upon  the  hill,  which  was 
the  strongest  point  of  the  Spanish  position ;  and  he  says 
of  the  troopers  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  that  "their  better 
training  enabled  them  to  render  more  valuable  service  than 
the  other  troops  engaged."  In  reality,  the  Tenth  Cavalry 
men  were  deployed  in  support  of  the  First,  though  they 
mingled  with  them  in  the  assault  proper ;  and  so  far  as 
there  was  any  difference  at  all  in  the  amount  of  work  done, 
it  was  in  favor  of  the  First.  The  statement  that  the  Tenth 
Cavalry  was  better  trained  than  the  First,  and  rendered 
more  valuable  service,  has  not  the  slightest  basis  whatso 
ever  of  any  kind,  sort,  or  description,  in  fact.  The  Tenth 
Cavalry  did  well  what  it  was  required  to  do;  as  an  organi- 


APPENDIX  D 

zaiion,  in  this  fight,  it  was  rather  less  heavily  engaged,  and 
suffered  less  loss,  actually  and  relatively,  than  either  the 
First  Cavalry  or  the  Rough  Riders.  It  took  about  the 
same  part  that  was  taken  by  the  left  wing  of  the  Rough 
Riders,  which  wing  was  similarly  rather  less  heavily  en 
gaged  than  the  right  and  centre  of  the  regiment.  Of 
course,  this  is  a  reflection  neither  on  the  Tenth  Cavalry 
nor  on  the  left  wing  of  the  Rough  Riders.  Each  body 
simply  did  what  it  was  ordered  to  do,  and  did  it  well. 
But  to  claim  that  the  Tenth  Cavalry  did  better  than  the 
First,  or  bore  the  most  prominent  part  in  the  fight,  is  like 
making  the  same  claim  for  the  left  wing  of  the  Rough 
Riders.  All  the  troops  engaged  did  well,  and  all  alike 
are  entitled  to  share  in  the  honor  of  the  day. 

Mr.  Bonsai  out-Spaniards  the  Spaniards  themselves  as 
regards  both  their  numbers  and  their  loss.  These  points 
are  discussed  elsewhere.  He  develops  for  the  Spanish  side, 
to  account  for  their  retreat,  a  wholly  new  explanation — 
viz.,  that  they  retreated  because  they  saw  reinforcements 
arriving  for  the  Americans.  The  Spaniards  themselves 
make  no  such  claim.  Lieutenant  Tejeiro  asserts  that  they 
retreated  because  news  had  come  of  a  (wholly  mythical) 
American  advance  on  Morro  Castle.  The  Spanish  official 
report  simply  says  that  the  Americans  were  repulsed;  which 
is  about  as  accurate  a  statement  as  the  other  two.  All 
three  explanations,  those  by  General  Rubin,  by  Lieutenant 
Tejeiro,  and  by  Mr.  Bonsai  alike,  are  precisely  on  a  par 
with  the  first  Spanish  official  report  of  the  battle  of  Ma 
nila  Bay,  in  which  Admiral  Dewey  was  described  as  hav 
ing  been  repulsed  and  forced  to  retire. 

There  are  one  or  two  minor  mistakes  made  by  Mr.  Bon- 
sal.  He  states  that  on  the  roster  of  the  officers  of  the 
Rough  Riders  there  were  ten  West  Pointers.  There  were 

290 


APPENDIX   D 

one  of  whom  resigned.  Only  two  were  in  the  fight 
ing.  He  also  states  that  after  Las  Guasimas  Brigadier- 
General  Young  was  made  a  Major-General  and  Colonel 
Wood  a  Brigadier-General,  while  the  commanding  officers 
of  the  First  and  Tenth  Cavalry  were  ignored  in  this  "  shower 
of  promotions."  In  the  first  place,  the  commanding  offi 
cers  of  the  First  and  Tenth  Cavalry  were  not  in  the  fight — 
only  one  squadron  of  each  having  been  present.  In  the 
next  place,  there  was  no  ''shower  of  promotions"  at  all. 
Nobody  was  promoted  except  General  Young,  save  to  fill  the 
vacancies  caused  by  death  or  by  the  promotion  of  General 
Young.  Wood  was  not  promoted  because  of  this  fight. 
General  Young  most  deservedly  was  promoted.  Soon  after 
the  fight  he  fell  sick.  The  command  of  the  brigade  then 
fell  upon  Wood,  simply  because  he  had  higher  rank  than 
the  other  two  regimental  commanders  of  the  brigade  ;  and 
I  then  took  command  of  the  regiment  exactly  as  Lieuten 
ant-Colonels  Viele  and  Baldwin  had  already  taken  com 
mand  of  the  First  and  Tenth  Cavalry  when  their  superior 
officers  were  put  in  charge  of  brigades.  After  the  San 
Juan  fighting,  in  which  Wood  commanded  a  brigade,  he 
was  made  a  Brigadier-General  and  I  was  then  promoted 
to  the  nominal  command  of  the  regiment,  which  I  was 
already  commanding  in  reality. 

Mr.  Bonsai's  claim  of  superior  efficiency  for  the  colored 
regular  regiments  as  compared  with  the  white  regular  regi 
ments  does  not  merit  discussion.  He  asserts  that  General 
Wheeler  brought  on  the  Guasimas  fight  in  defiance  of 
orders.  Lieutenant  Miley,  in  his  book,  "  In  Cuba  with 
Shafter,"  on  page  83,  shows  that  General  Wheeler  made 
his  fight  before  receiving  the  order  which  it  is  claimed  he 
disobeyed.  General  Wheeler  was  in  command  ashore  ;  he 
was  told  to  get  in  touch  with  the  enemy,  and,  being  a  man 

2QI 


APPENDIX  D 

with  the  "fighting  edge,"  this  meant  that  he  was  certain 
to  fight.  No  general  who  was  worth  his  salt  would  have 
failed  to  fight  under  such  conditions  ;  the  only  question 
would  be  as  to  how  the  fight  was  to  be  made.  War  means 
fighting ;  and  the  soldier's  cardinal  sin  is  timidity. 

General  Wheeler  remained  throughout  steadfast  against 
any  retreat  from  before  Santiago.  But  the  merit  of  keep 
ing  the  army  before  Santiago,  without  withdrawal,  until 
the  city  fell,  belongs  to  the  authorities  at  Washington,  who 
at  this  all-important  stage  of  the  operations  showed  to 
marked  advantage  in  overruling  the  proposals  made  by  the 
highest  generals  in  the  field  looking  toward  partial  retreat 
or  toward  the  abandonment  of  the  effort  to  take  the  city. 

The  following  note,  written  by  Sergeant  E.  G.  Norton, 
of  B  Troop,  refers  to  the  death  of  his  brother,  Oliver  B. 
Norton,  one  of  the  most  gallant  and  soldierly  men  in  the 
regiment : 

On  July  ist  I,  together  with  Sergeant  Campbell  and 
Troopers  Bardshar  and  Dudley  Dean  and  my  brother  who 
was  killed  and  some  others,  was  at  the  front  of  the  column 
right  behind  you.  We  moved  forward,  following  you  as 
you  rode,  to  where  we  came  upon  the  troopers  of  the 
Ninth  Cavalry  and  a  part  of  the  First  lying  down.  I 
heard  the  conversation  between  you  and  one  or  two  of  the 
officers  of  the  Ninth  Cavalry.  You  ordered  a  charge, 
and  the  regular  officers  answered  that  they  had  no  orders 
to  move  ahead;  whereupon  you  said:  "Then  let  us 
through,"  and  marched  forward  through  the  lines,  our 
regiment  following.  The  men  of  the  Ninth  and  First 
Cavalry  then  jumped  up  and  came  forward  with  us.  Then 
you  waved  your  hat  and  gave  the  command  to  charge  and 
we  went  up  the  hill.  On  the  top  of  Kettle  Hill  my 
brother,  Oliver  B.  Norton,  was  shot  through  the  head  and 
in  the  right  wrist.  It  was  just  as  you  started  to  lead  the 

292 


,     APPENDIX  D 

charge  on  the  San  Juan  hills  ahead  of  us ;  we  saw  that  the 
regiment  did  not  know  you  had  gone  and  were  not  follow 
ing,  and  my  brother  said,  "For  God's  sake  follow  the 
Colonel,"  and  as  he  rose  the  bullet  went  through  his 
head. 

In  reference  to  Mr.  Bonsai's  account  of  the  Guasimas 
fight,  Mr.  Richard  Harding  Davis  writes  me  as  follows : 

We  had  already  halted  several  times  to  give  the  men  a 
chance  to  rest,  and  when  we  halted  for  the  last  time  I 
thought  it  was  for  this  same  purpose,  and  began  taking 
photographs  of  the  men  of  L  Troop,  who  were  so  near 
that  they  asked  me  to  be  sure  and  save  them  a  photograph. 
Wood  had  twice  disappeared  down  the  trail  beyond  them 
and  returned.  As  he  came  back  for  the  second  time  I 
remember  that  you  walked  up  to  him  (we  were  all  dis 
mounted  then),  and  saluted  and  said  :  "  Colonel,  Doctor 
La  Motte  reports  that  the  pace  is  too  fast  for  the  men,  and 
that  over  fifty  have  fallen  out  from  exhaustion."  Wood 
replied  sharply :  "I  have  no  time  to  bother  with  sick  men 
now."  You  replied,  more  in  answer,  I  suppose,  to  his 
tone  than  to  his  words :  ''I  merely  repeated  what  the  Sur 
geon  reported  to  me."  Wood  then  turned  and  said  in 
explanation  :  "I  have  no  time  for  them  now ;  I  mean  that 
we  are  in  sight  of  the  enemy." 

This  was  the  only  information  we  received  that  the  men 
of  L  Troop  had  been  ambushed  by  the  Spaniards,  and,  if 
they  were,  they  were  very  calm  about  it,  and  I  certainly 
was  taking  photographs  of  them  at  the  time,  and  the  rest 
of  the  regiment,  instead  of  being  half  an  hour's  march  away, 
was  seated  comfortably  along  the  trail  not  twenty  feet  dis 
tant  from  the  men  of  L  Troop.  You  deployed  G  Troop 
under  Captain  Llewellen  into  the  jungle  at  the  right  and 
sent  K  Troop  after  it,  and  Wood  ordered  Troops  E  and  F 
into  the  field  on  our  left.  It  must  have  been  from  ten  to 
fifteen  minutes  after  Capron  and  Wood  had  located  the 
Spaniards  before  either  side  fired  a  shot.  When  the  firing 
did  come  I  went  over  to  you  and  joined  G  Troop  and  a 

293 


APPENDIX   D      . 

detachment  of  K  Troop  under  Woodbury  Kane,  and  we 
located  more  of  the  enemy  on  a  ridge. 

If  it  is  to  be  ambushed  when  you  find  the  enemy 
exactly  where  you  went  to  find  him,  and  your  scouts  see 
him  soon  enough  to  give  you  sufficient  time  to  spread  five 
troops  in  skirmish  order  to  attack  him,  and  you  then  drive 
him  back  out  of  three  positions  for  a  mile  and  a  half,  then 
most  certainly,  as  Bonsai  says,  "L  Troop  of  the  Rough 
Riders  was  ambushed  by  the  Spaniards  on  the  morning  of 
June  24th." 

General  Wood  also  writes  me  at  length  about  Mr.  Bon- 
sal's  book,  stating  that  his  account  of  the  Guasimas  fight 
is  without  foundation  in  fact.  He  says:  "  We  had  five 
troops  completely  deployed  before  the  first  shot  was  fired. 
Captain  Capron  was  not  wounded  until  the  fight  had  been 
going  on  fully  thirty-five  minutes.  The  statement  that 
Captain  Capron's  troop  was  ambushed  is  absolutely  un 
true.  We  had  been  informed,  as  you  know,  by  Castillo's 
people  that  we  should  find  the  dead  guerilla  a  few  hundred 
yards  on  the  Siboney  side  of  the  Spanish  lines." 

He  then  alludes  to  the  waving  of  the  guidon  by  K 
Troop  as  "  the  only  means  of  communication  with  the 
regulars."  He  mentions  that  his  orders  did  not  come 
from  General  Wheeler,  and  that  he  had  no  instructions 
from  General  Wheeler  directly  or  indirectly  at  any  time 
previous  to  the  fight. 

General  Wood  does  not  think  that  I  give  quite  enough 
credit  to  the  Rough  Riders  as  compared  to  the  regulars  in 
this  Guasimas  fight,  and  believes  that  I  greatly  underesti 
mate  the  Spanish  force  and  loss,  and  that  Lieutenant  Te- 
jeiro  is  not  to  be  trusted  at  all  on  these  points.  He  states 
that  we  began  the  fight  ten  minutes  before  the  regulars, 
and  that  the  main  attack  was  made  and  decided  by  us. 
This  was  the  view  that  I  and  all  the  rest  of  us  in  the  regi- 

294 


APPENDIX  D 

ment  took  at  the  time  ;  but  as  I  had  found  since  that  the 
members  of  the  First  and  Tenth  Regular  Regiments  held 
with  equal  sincerity  the  view  that  the  main  part  was  taken 
by  their  own  commands,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  way  I  have  described  the  action  is  substantially 
correct.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  which 
was  originally  in  support,  moved  forward  until  it  got 
mixed  with  the  First,  it  is  very  difficult  to  get  the  exact 
relative  position  of  the  different  troops  of  the  First  and 
Tenth  in  making  the  advance.  Beck  and  Galbraith  were 
on  the  left ;  apparently  Wainwright  was  farthest  over  on 
the  right.  General  Wood  states  that  Leonardo  Ros,  the 
Civil  Governor  of  Santiago  at  the  time  of  the  surrender, 
told  him  that  the  Spanish  force  at  Guasimas  consisted  of 
not  less  than  2,600  men,  and  that  there  were  nearly  300 
of  them  killed  and  wounded.  I  do  not  myself  see  how  it 
was  possible  for  us,  as  we  were  the  attacking  party  and 
were  advancing  against  superior  numbers,  well  sheltered, 
to  inflict  five  times  as  much  damage  as  we  received ;  but 
as  we  buried  eleven  dead  Spaniards,  and  as  they  carried  off 
some  of  their  dead,  I  believe  the  loss  to  have  been  very 
much  heavier  than  Lieutenant  Tejeiro  reports. 

General  Wood  believes  that  in  following  Lieutenant 
Tejeiro  I  have  greatly  underestimated  the  number  of 
Spanish  troops  who  were  defending  Santiago  on  July  ist, 
and  here  I  think  he  completely  makes  out  his  case,  he 
taking  the  view  that  Lieutenant  Tejeiro's  statements  were 
made  for  the  purpose  of  saving  Spanish  honor.  On  this 
point  his  letter  runs  as  follows : 

A  word  in  regard  to  the  number  of  troops  in  Santiago. 
I  have  had,  during  my  long  association  here,  a  good  many 
opportunities  to  get  information  which  you  have  not  got 

295 


APPENDIX  D 

and  probably  never  will  get;  that  is,  information  from 
parties  who  were  actually  in  the  fight,  who  are  now  resi 
dents  of  the  city ;  also  information  which  came  to  me  as 
commanding  officer  of  the  city  directly  after  the  surrender. 
To  sum  up  briefly  as  follows  :  The  Spanish  surrendered 
in  Santiago  12,000  men.  We  shipped  from  Santiago  some 
thing  over  14,000  men.  The  2,000  additional  were  troops 
that  came  in  from  San  Luis,  Songo,  and  small  up-country 
posts.  The  12,000  in  the  city,  minus  the  force  of  General 
Iscario,  3,300  infantry  and  680  cavalry,  or  in  round  num 
bers  4,000  men  (who  entered  the  city  just  after  the  battles 
of  San  Juan  and  El  Caney),  leaves  8,000  regulars,  plus  the 
dead,  plus  Cervera's  marines  and  blue-jackets,  which  he 
himself  admits  landing  in  the  neighborhood  of  1,200  (and 
reports  here  are  that  he  landed  1,380),  and  plus  the  Span 
ish  Volunteer  Battalion,  which  was  between  800  and  900 
men  (this  statement  I  have  from  the  lieutenant-colonel  of 
this  very  battalion),  gives  us  in  round  numbers,  present  for 
duty  on  the  morning  of  July  ist,  not  less  than  10,500  men. 
These  men  were  distributed  890  at  Caney,  two  companies 
of  artillery  at  Morro,  one  at  Socapa,  and  half  a  company  at 
Puenta  Gorda;  in  all,  not  over  500  or  600  men,  but  for 
the  sake  of  argument  we  can  say  a  thousand.  In  round 
numbers,  then,  we  had  immediately  about  the  city  8,500 
troops.  These  were  scattered  from  the  cemetery  around  to 
Aguadores.  In  front  of  us,  actually  in  the  trenches,  there 
could  not  by  any  possible  method  of  figuring  have  been  less 
than  6,000  men.  You  can  twist  it  any  way  you  want  to; 
the  figures  I  have  given  you  are  absolutely  correct,  at  least 
they  are  absolutely  on  the  side  of  safety. 

It  is  difficult  for  me  to  withstand  the  temptation  to  tell 
what  has  befallen  some  of  my  men  since  the  regiment  dis 
banded  ;  how  McGinty,  after  spending  some  weeks  in 
Roosevelt  Hospital  in  New  York  with  an  attack  of  fever, 
determined  to  call  upon  his  captain,  Woodbury  Kane, 
when  he  got  out,  and  procuring  a  horse  rode  until  he  found 
Kane's  house,  when  he  hitched  the  horse  to  a  lamp-post  and 

296 


APPENDIX  D 

strolled  in  ;  how  Cherokee  Bill  married  a  wife  in  Hoboken, 
and  as  that  pleasant  city  ultimately  proved  an  uncongenial 
field  for  his  activities,  how  I  had  to  send  both  himself  and 
his  wife  out  to  the  Territory;  how  Happy  Jack,  haunted 
by  visions  of  the  social  methods  obtaining  in  the  best  sa 
loons  of  Arizona,  applied  for  the  position  of  "  bouncer 
out"  at  the  Executive  Chamber  when  I  was  elected  Gov 
ernor,  and  how  I  got  him  a  job  at  railroading  instead,  and 
finally  had  to  ship  him  back  to  his  own  Territory  also  ;  how 
a  valued  friend  from  a  cow  ranch  in  the  remote  West  ac 
cepted  a  pressing  invitation  to  spend  a  few  days  at  the 
home  of  another  ex-trooper,  a  New  Yorker  of  fastidious  in 
stincts,  and  arrived  with  an  umbrella  as  his  only  baggage; 
how  poor  Holderman  and  Pollock  both  died  and  were 
buried  with  military  honors,  all  of  Pollock's  tribesmen  com 
ing  to  the  burial ;  how  Tom  Isbell  joined  Buffalo  Bill's 
Wild  West  Show,  and  how,  on  the  other  hand,  George 
Rowland  scornfully  refused  to  remain  in  the  East  at  all, 
writing  to  a  gallant  young  New  Yorker  who  had  been  his 
bunkie:  "Well,  old  boy,  I  am  glad  I  didnt  go  home 
with  you  for  them  people  to  look  at,  because  I  aint  a  Buf 
falo  or  a  rhinoceros  or  a  giraffe,  and  I  dont  like  to  be 
Stared  at,  and  you  know  we  didnt  do  no  hard  fighting 
down  there.  I  have  been  in  closer  places  than  that  right 
here  in  Yunited  States,  that  is  Better  men  to  fight  than 
them  dam  Spaniards."  In  another  letter  Rowland  tells  of 
the  fate  of  Tom  Darnell,  the  rider,  he  who  rode  the  sorrel 
horse  of  the  Third  Cavalry:  "There  aint  much  news  to 
write  of  except  poor  old  Tom  Darnell  got  killed  about  a 
month  ago.  Tom  and  another  fellow  had  a  fight  and  he 
shot  Tom  through  the  heart  and  Tom  was  dead  when  he 
hit  the  floor.  Tom  was  sure  a  good  old  boy,  and  I  sure 
hated  to  hear  of  him  going,  and  he  had  plenty  of  grit  too. 

2Q7 


APPENDIX  D 

No  man  ever  called  on  him  for  a  fight  that  he  didn't  get 
it." 

My  men  were  children  of  the  dragon's  blood,  and  if 
they  had  no  outland  foe  to  fight  and  no  outlet  for  their 
vigorous  and  daring  energy,  there  was  always  the  chance 
of  their  fighting  one  another  :  but  the  great  majority,  if 
given  the  chance  to  do  hard  or  dangerous  work,  availed 
themselves  of  it  with  the  utmost  eagerness,  and  though 
fever  sickened  and  weakened  them  so  that  many  died  from 
it  during  the  few  months  following  their  return,  yet,  as  a 
whole,  they  are  now  doing  fairly  well.  A  few  have  shot 
other  men  or  been  shot  themselves ;  a  few  ran  for  office 
and  got  elected,  like  Llewellen  and  Luna  in  New  Mexico, 
or  defeated,  like  Brodie  and  Wilcox  in  Arizona;  some 
have  been  trying  hard  to  get  to  the  Philippines ;  some  have 
returned  to  college,  or  to  the  law,  or  the  factory,  or  the 
counting-room  ;  most  of  them  have  gone  back  to  the  mine, 
the  ranch,  and  the  hunting  camp ;  and  the  great  majority 
have  taken  up  the  threads  of  their  lives  where  they  dropped 
them  when  the  Maine  was  blown  up  and  the  country  called 
to  arms. 


298 


APPENDIX   E 

(CONGRESSIONAL   RECORD,  55™  CONGRESS,  THIRD 
SESSION,  VOLUME  32,   PART  II,  PAGE  1250). 

NOMINATIONS    BY   THE   PRESIDENT. 

To  be  Colonel  by  Brevet. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt,  First  Volunteer 
Cavalry,  for  gallantry  in  battle,  La  Guasima,  Cuba,  June 
24,  1898. 

To  be  Brigadier-  General  by  Brevet. 

Lietenant-Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt,  First  Volunteer 
Cavalry,  for  gallantry  in  battle,  Santiago  de  Cuba,  July  i , 
1898.  (Nominated  for  brevet  colonel,  to  rank  from  June 
24,  1898.) 

FORT  SAN  JUAN,  CUBA, 

July  17,  1898. 

THE  ADJUTANT-GENERAL  UNITED  STATES  ARMY, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

(Through  military  channels) 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  invite  attention  to  the  follow 
ing  list  of  officers  and  enlisted  men  who  specially  distin 
guished  themselves  in  the  action  at  Las  Guasimas,  Cuba, 
June  24,  1898. 

These  officers   and    men    have    been  recommended  for 
299 


APPENDIX   E 

favorable  consideration  by  their  immediate  commanding 
officers  in  their  respective  reports,  and  I  would  respectfully 
urge  that  favorable  action  be  taken. 

OFFICERS. 


In    First   United   States   Volunteer     Cavalry — Colonel 
Leonard  Wood,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Roosevelt. 

Respectfully, 

JOSEPH  WHEELER, 
Major-General  United  States  Volunteers,  Commanding. 


HEADQUARTERS  SECOND  CAVALRY  BRIGADE, 
CAMP  NEAR  SANTIAGO  DE  CUBA,   CUBA,  f 

June  29,  1898. 
THE  ADJUTANT-GENERAL  CAVALRY  DIVISION. 

SIR  :  By  direction  of  the  major-general  commanding  the 
Cavalry  Division,  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following 
report  of  the  engagement  of  a  part  of  this  brigade  with  the 
enemy  at  Guasimas,  Cuba,  on  June  24th,  accompanied  by 
detailed  reports  from  the  regimental  and  other  commanders 
engaged,  and  a  list  of  the  killed  and  wounded  : 

I  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  the  efficient  manner  in 
which  Colonel  Wood  handled  his  regiment,  and  of  his 
magnificent  behavior  on  the  field.  The  conduct  of  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Roosevelt,  as  reported  to  me  by  my  two 
aides,  deserves  my  highest  commendation.  Both  Colonel 
Wood  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Roosevelt  disdained  to  take 
advantage  of  shelter  or  cover  from  the  enemy's  fire  while 

300 


APPENDIX   E 

any  of  their  men  remained  exposed  to  it — an  error  of  judg 
ment,  but  happily  on  the  heroic  side. 

Very  respectfully, 

S.  B.  M.  YOUNG, 
Brigadier  General  United  States  Volunteers,  Commanding. 


HEADQUARTERS  FIRST  DIVISION  SECOND  ARMY  CORPS. 

CAMP  MACKENZIE,  GA., 
December  30,  1898. 
ADJUTANT-GENERAL, 

Washington,  D.  C. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  recommend  Hon.  Theodore 
Roosevelt,  late  Colonel  First  United  States  Volunteer  Cav 
alry,  for  a  medal  of  honor,  as  a  reward  for  conspicuous 
gallantry  at  the  battle  of  San  Juan,  Cuba,  on  July  i,  1898. 
Colonel  Roosevelt  by  his  example  and  fearlessness  in 
spired  his  men,  and  both  at  Kettle  Hill  and  the  ridge 
known  as  San  Juan  he  led  his  command  in  person.  I  was 
an  eye  witness  of  Colonel  Roosevelt's  action. 

As  Colonel  Roosevelt  has  left  the  service,  a  Brevet  Com 
mission  is  of  no  particular  value  in  his  case. 
Very  respectfully, 

*      SAMUEL  S.  SUMNER, 
Major-  General  United  States  Volunteers. 


WEST  POINT,  N.Y., 

December  17,  1898. 

MY  DEAR  COLONEL:  I  saw  you  lead  the  line  up  the  first 
hill — you  were  certainly  the  first  officer  to  reach  the  top — 
and  through  your  efforts,  and  your  personally  jumping 

301 


APPENDIX   E 

to  the  front,  a  line,  more  or  less  thin,  but  strong  enough 
to  take  it,  was  led  by  you  to  the  San  Juan  or  first  hill.  In 
this  your  life  was  placed  in  extreme  jeopardy,  as  you  may 
recall,  and  as  it  proved  by  the  number  of  dead  left  in  that 
vicinity.  Captain  Stevens,  then  of  the  Ninth  Cavalry,  now 
of  the  Second  Cavalry,  was  with  you,  and  I  am  sure  he  re 
calls  your  gallant  conduct.  After  the  line  started  on  the 
advance  from  the  first  hill,  I  did  not  see  you  until  our  line 
was  halted,  under  a  most  galling  fire,  at  the  extreme  front, 
where  you  afterwards  entrenched.  I  spoke  to  you  there 
and  gave  instructions  from  General  Sumner  that  the  posi 
tion  was  to  be  held  and  that  there  would  be  no  further 
advance  till  further  orders.  You  were  the  senior  officer 
there,  took  charge  of  the  line,  scolded  me  for  having  my 
horse  so  high  upon  the  ridge ;  at  the  same  time  you  were 
exposing  yourself  most  conspicuously,  while  adjusting  the 
line,  for  the  example  was  necessary,  as  was  proved  when 
several  colored  soldiers — about  eight  or  ten,  Twenty-fourth 
Infantry,  I  think — started  at  a  run  to  the  rear  to  assist  a 
wounded  colored  soldier,  and  you  drew  your  revolver  and 
put  a  short  and  effective  stop  to  such  apparent  stampede — 
it  quieted  them.  That  position  was  hot,  and  now  I  marvel 

at  your  escaping  there 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

ROBERT  L.  HOWZE. 


WEST  POINT,  N.  Y., 

December  17,  1898. 

I  hereby  certify  that  on  July  i,  1898,  Colonel  (then 
Lieutenant-Colonel)  Theodore  Roosevelt,  First  Volunteer 
Cavalry,  distinguished  himself  through  the  action,  and  on 
two  occasions  during  the  battle  when  I  was  an  eye-witness, 

302 


APPENDIX   E 

his  conduct  was  most  conspicuous  and  clearly  distinguished 
above  other  men,  as  follows : 

1.  At  the  base  of  San  Juan,  or  first  hill,  there  was  a 
strong  wire  fence,  or  entanglement,  at  which  the  line  hesi 
tated  under  a  galling  fire,  and  where  the  losses  were  severe. 
Colonel  Roosevelt  jumped    through  the  fence  and  by  his 
enthusiasm,  his  example  and  courage  succeeded  in  leading 
to  the  crest  of  the  hill  a  line  sufficiently  strong  to  capture 
it.     In  this  charge  the  Cavalry  Brigade  suffered  its  greatest 
loss,  and  the  Colonel's  life  was  placed  in  extreme  jeopardy, 
owing  to  the  conspicuous  position  he  took  in  leading  the 
line,  and  being  the  first  to  reach  the  crest  of  that  hill,  while 
under  heavy  fire  of  the  enemy  at  close  range. 

2.  At  the  extreme  advanced  position  occupied  by  our 
lines,    Colonel   Roosevelt   found   himself  the   senior,    and 
under  his  instructions  from  General  Sumner  to  hold  that 
position.     He   displayed   the   greatest  bravery  and  placed 
his  life  in  extreme  jeopardy  by  unavoidable  exposure  to 
severe  fire  while  adjusting  and  strengthening  the  line,  plac 
ing  the  men  in  positions  which  afforded  best  protection, 
etc.,  etc.     His  conduct  and  example  steadied  the  men  and 
on  one  occasion  by  severe  but  unnecessary  measures  pre 
vented  a  small  detachment  from  stampeding  to  the  rear. 
He  displayed  the  most  conspicuous  gallantry,  courage  and 
coolness,  in  performing  extraordinarily  hazardous  duty. 

ROBERT  L.  HOWZE, 
Captain  A.  A.  G.,   U.  S.  V. 
(First  Lieutenant  Sixth  United  States  Cavalry) 
To  THE  ADJUTANT-GENERAL  UNITED  STATES  ARMY, 
Washington,  D.  C. 


303 


APPENDIX   E 

HEADQUARTERS  UNITED  STATES  MILITARY  ACADEMY, 

WEST  POINT,  N.  Y., 

April  5,  1899. 
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  W.  H.  CARTER, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General  United  States  Army, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

SIR  :  In  compliance  with  the  request,  contained  in  your 
letter  of  April  3oth,  of  the  Board  convened  to  consider  the 
awarding  of  brevets,  medals  of  honor,  etc.,  for  the  Santiago 
Campaign,  that  I  state  any  facts,  within  my  knowledge  as 
Adjutant-General  of  the  Brigade  in  which  Colonel  Theo 
dore  Roosevelt  served,  to  aid  the  Board  in  determining,  in 
connection  with  Colonel  Roosevelt's  application  for  a 
medal  of  honor,  whether  his  conduct  at  Santiago  was  such 
as  to  distinguish  him  above  others,  I  have  the  honor  to 
submit  the  following  : 

My  duties  on  July  i,  1898,  brought  me  in  constant  ob 
servation  of  and  contact  with  Colonel  Roosevelt  from  early 
morning  until  shortly  before  the  climax  of  the  assault  of 
the  Cavalry  Division  on  the  San  Juan  Hill — the  so-called 
Kettle  Hill.  During  this  time,  while  under  the  enemy's 
artillery  fire  at  El  Poso,  and  while  on  the  march  from  El 
Poso  by  the  San  Juan  ford  to  the  point  from  which  his  regi 
ment  moved  to  the  assault — about  two  miles,  the  greater  part 
under  fire — Colonel  Roosevelt  was  conspicuous  above  any 
others  I  observed  in  his  regiment  in  the  zealous  perform 
ance  of  duty,  in  total  disregard  of  his  personal  danger  and 
in  his  eagerness  to  meet  the  enemy.  At  El  Poso,  when 
the  enemy  opened  on  that  place  with  artillery  fire,  a  shrap 
nel  bullet  grazed  and  bruised  one  of  Colonel  Roosevelt's 
wrists.  The  incident  did  not  lessen  his  hazardous  exposure, 
but  he  continued  so  exposed  until  he  had  placed  his  com 
mand  under  cover.  In  moving  to  the  assault  of  San  Juan 

304 


APPENDIX   E 

Hill,  Colonel  Roosevelt  was  most  conspicuously  brave, 
gallant  and  indifferent  to  his  own  safety.  He,  in  the 
open,  led  his  regiment  ;  no  officer  could  have  set  a  more 
striking  example  to  his  men  or  displayed  greater  intre 
pidity.  Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

A.  L.  MILLS, 
Colonel  United  States  Army,  Superintendent. 


HEADQUARTERS 
DEPARTMENT  OF  SANTIAGO  DE  CUBA. 

SANTIAGO  DE  CUBA, 

December  30,  ii 
To  THE  ADJUTANT-GENERAL,  UNITED  STATES  ARMY, 

Washington,  D.  C. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  make  the  following  statement 
relative  to  the  conduct  of  Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt,  late 
First  United  States  Volunteer  Cavalry,  during  the  assault 
upon  San  Juan  Hill,  July  i,  1898. 

I  have  already  recommended  this  officer  for  a  medal  of 
honor,  which  I  understand  has  been  denied  him,  upon  the 
ground  that  my  previous  letter  was  too  indefinite.  I  based 
my  recommendation  upon  the  fact  that  Colonel  Roosevelt, 
accompanied  only  by  four  or  five  men,  led  a  very  desperate 
and  extremely  gallant  charge  on  San  Juan  Hill,  thereby  set 
ting  a  splendid  example  to  the  troops  and  encouraging  them 
to  pass  over  the  open  country  intervening  between  their 
position  and  the  trenches  of  the  enemy.  In  leading  this 
charge,  he  started  off  first,  as  he  supposed,  with  quite  a  fol 
lowing  of  men,  but  soon  discovered  that  he  was  alone.  He 
then  returned  and  gathered  up  a  few  men  and  led  them  to 
the  charge,  as  above  stated.  The  charge  in  itself  was  an 
extremely  gallant  one,  and  the  example  set  a  most  inspir- 

305 


APPENDIX   E 

ing  one  to  the  troops  in  that  part  of  the  line,  and  while  it 
is  perfectly  true  that  everybody  finally  went  up  the  hill  in 
good  style,  yet  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  magnificent 
example  set  by  Colonel  Roosevelt  had  a  very  encouraging 
effect  and  had  great  weight  in  bringing  up  the  troops 
behind  him.  During  the  assault,  Colonel  Roosevelt  was 
the  first  to  reach  the  trenches  in  his  part  of  the  line  and 
killed  one  of  the  enemy  with  his  own  hand. 

I  earnestly  recommend  that  the  medal  be  conferred  upon 
Colonel  Roosevelt,  for  I  believe  that  he  in  every  way  de 
serves  it,  and  that  his  services  on  the  day  in  question  were 
of  great  value  and  of  a  most  distinguished  character. 

Very  respectfully, 

LEONARD  WOOD, 

Major- General,   United  States  Volunteers. 
Commanding  Department  of  Santiago  de  Cuba. 

HUNTSVILLE,  ALA., 

January  4,  1899. 
THE  ADJUTANT-GENERAL,  UNITED  STATES  ARMY, 

Washington,  D.  C. 

SIR:  I  have  the  honor  to  recommend  that  a  "  Congres 
sional  Medal  of  Honor"  be  given  to  Theodore  Roose 
velt  (late  Colonel  First  Volunteer  Cavalry),  for  distin 
guished  conduct  and  conspicuous  bravery  in  command  of 
his  regiment  in  the  charge  on  San  Juan  Hill,  Cuba,  July  i, 
1898. 

In  compliance  with  G.  O.  135,  A.  G.  O.  1898,  I  en 
close  my  certificate  showing  my  personal  knowledge  of 
Colonel  Roosevelt's  conduct. 

Very  respectfully, 

C.  J.  STEVENS, 
Captain  Second  Cavalry. 
306 


APPENDIX   E 

I  hereby  certify  that  on  July  i,  1898,  at  the  battle  of 
San  Juan,  Cuba,  I  witnessed  Colonel  (then  Lieutenant- 
Colonel)  Roosevelt,  First  Volunteer  Cavalry,  United  States 
of  America,  mounted,  leading  his  regiment  in  the  charge  on 
San  Juan.  By  his  gallantry  and  strong  personality  he  con 
tributed  most  materially  to  the  success  of  the  charge  of  the 
Cavalry  Division  up  San  Juan  Hill. 

Colonel  Roosevelt  was  among  the  first  to  reach  the  crest 
of  the  hill,  and  his  dashing  example,  his  absolute  fearlessness 
and  gallant  leading  rendered  his  conduct  conspicuous  and 
clearly  distinguished  above  other  men. 

C.  J.  STEVENS, 
Captain  Second  Cavalry. 
(Late  First  Lieutenant  Ninth  Cavalry.) 


YOUNG'S  ISLAND,  S.  C., 

December  28,  1898. 
To  THE  ADJUTANT-GENERAL,  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

Washington,  D.  C. 

SIR  :  Believing  that  information  relating  to  superior  con 
duct  on  the  part  of  any  of  the  higher  officers  who  partici 
pated  in  the  Spanish-American  War  (and  which  informa 
tion  may  not  have  been  given)  would  be  appreciated  by 
the  Department  over  which  you  preside,  I  have  the  honor 
to  call  your  attention  to  the  part  borne  by  Colonel  Theo 
dore  Roosevelt,  of  the  late  First  United  States  Volunteer 
Cavalry,  in  the  battle  of  July  ist  last.  I  do  this  not  only 
because  I  think  you  ought  to  know,  but  hecause  his  regi 
ment  as  a  whole  were  very  proud  of  his  splendid  actions 
that  day  and  believe  they  call  for  that  most  coveted  dis 
tinction  of  the  American  officer,  the  Medal  of  Honor. 
Held  in  support,  he  brought  his  regiment,  at  exactly  the 

3°7 


APPENDIX   E 

right  time,  not  only  up  to  the  line  of  regulars,  but  went 
through  them  and  headed,  on  horseback,  the  charge  on 
Kettle  Hill;  this  being  done  on  his  own  initiative,  the 
regulars  as  well  as  his  own  men  following.  He  then 
headed  the  charge  on  the  next  hill,  both  regulars  and  the 
First  United  States  Volunteer  Cavalry  following.  He  was 
so  near  the  intrenchments  on  the  second  hill,  that  he  shot 
and  killed  with  a  revolver  one  of  the  enemy  before  they 
broke  completely.  He  then  led  the  cavalry  on  the  chain 
of  hills  overlooking  Santiago,  where  he  remained  in  charge 
of  all  the  cavalry  that  was  at  the  extreme  front  for  the  rest 
of  that  day  and  night.  His  unhesitating  gallantry  in  tak 
ing  the  initiative  against  intrenchments  lined  by  men 
armed  with  rapid  fire  guns  certainly  won  him  the  highest 
consideration  and  admiration  of  all  who  witnessed  his  con 
duct  throughout  that  day. 

What  I  here  write  I  can  bear  witness  to  from  personally 
having  seen.  Very  respectfully, 

M.  J.  JENKINS, 
Major  Late  First  United  States  Cavalry. 


PRESCOTT,  A.  T., 

December  25,  1898. 

I  was  Colonel  Roosevelt's  orderly  at  the  battle  of  San 
Juan  Hill,  and  from  that  time  on  until  our  return  to  Mon* 
tauk  Point.  I  was  with  him  all  through  the  fighting,  and 
believe  I  was  the  only  man  who  was  always  with  him, 
though  during  part  of  the  time  Lieutenants  Ferguson  and 
Greenwald  were  also  close  to  him.  He  led  our  regiment 
forward  on  horseback  until  he  came  to  the  men  of  the 
Ninth  Cavalry  lying  down.  He  led  us  through  these  and 
they  got  up  and  joined  us.  He  gave  the  order  to  charge 

308 


APPENDIX   E 

on  Kettle  Hill,  and  led  us  on  horseback  up  the  hill,  both 
Rough  Riders  and  the  Ninth  Cavalry.  He  was  the  first  on 
the  hill,  I  being  very  nearly  alongside  of  him.  Some 
Spanish  riflemen  were  coming  out  of  the  intrenchmenta 
and  he  killed  one  with  his  revolver.  He  took  the  men  on 
to  the  crest  of  the  hill  and  bade  them  begin  firing  on  the 
blockhouse  on  the  hill  to  our  left,  the  one  the  infantry 
were  attacking.  When  we  took  it,  he  gave  the  order  to 
charge,  and  led  the  troops  on  Kettle  Hill  forward  against 
the  blockhouse  on  our  front.  He  then  had  charge  of  all 
the  cavalry  on  the  hills  overlooking  Santiago,  where  we 
afterwards  dug  our  trenches.  He  had  command  that  after 
noon  and  night,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  time  commanded 
our  regiment  at  this  point.  Yours  very  truly, 

H.  P.  BARDSHAR. 

CAMBRIDGE,  MD., 

March  27,  1902. 
THEODORE  ROOSEVELT,  President  of  the  United  States. 

Washington,  D.  C. 

DEAR  SIR  :  At  your  request,  I  send  you  the  following 
extracts  from  my  diary,  and  from  notes  taken  on  the  day  of 
the  assault  on  San  Juan.  I  kept  in  my  pocket  a  small  pad 
on  which  incidents  were  noted  daily  from  the  landing  until 
the  surrender.  On  the  day  of  the  fight  notes  were  taken 
just  before  Grimes  fired  his  first  gun,  just  after  the  third 
reply  from  the  enemy — when  we  were  massed  in  the  road 
about  seventy  paces  from  Grimes'  guns,  and  when  I  was 
beginning  to  get  scared  and  to  think  I  would  be  killed — at 
the  halt  just  before  you  advanced,  and  under  the  shelter  of4 
the  hills  in  the  evening.  Each  time  that  notes  were  taken, 
the  page  was  put  in  an  envelope  addressed  to  my  wife. 
At  the  first  chance  they  were  mailed  to  her,  and  on  my 

309 


APPENDIX  E 

arrival  in  the  United  States  the  story  of  the  fight,  taken 
from  these  notes,  was  entered  in  the  diary  I  keep  in  a  book. 
I  make  this  lengthy  explanation  that  you  may  see  that 
everything  put  down  was  fresh  in  my  memory. 

I  quote  from  my  diary:  "The  tension  on  the  men  was 
great.  Suddenly  a  line  of  men  appeared  coming  from  our 
right.  They  were  advancing  through  the  long  grass,  de 
ployed  as  skirmishers  and  were  under  fire.  At  their  head, 
or  rather  in  front  of  them  and  leading  them,  rode  Colonel 
Roosevelt.  He  was  very  conspicuous,  mounted  as  he 
was.  The  men  were  the  'Rough  Riders,'  so-called.  I 
heard  some  one  calling  to  them  not  to  fire  into  us,  and  see 
ing  Colonel  Carrol,  reported  to  him,  and  was  told  to  go  out 
and  meet  them,  and  caution  them  as  to  our  position,  we 
being  between  them  and  the  enemy.  I  did  so,  speaking 
to  Colonel  Roosevelt.  I  also  told  him  we  were  under 
orders  not  to  advance,  and  asked  him  if  he  had  received 
any  orders.  He  replied  that  he  was  going  to  charge  the 
Spanish  trenches.  I  told  this  to  Colonel  Carrol,  and  to 
Captain  Dimmick,  our  squadron  commander.  A  few  mo 
ments  after  the  word  passed  down  that  our  left  (Captain 
Taylor)  was  about  to  charge.  Captain  McBlain  called  out, 
'  we  must  go  in  with  those  troops  ;  we  must  support  Tay 
lor.'  I  called  this  to  Captain  Dimmick,  and  he  gave  the 
order  to  assault." 

"The  cheer  was  taken  up  and  taken  up  again,  on  the 
left,  and  in  the  distance  it  rolled  on  and  on.  And  so  we 
started.  Colonel  Roosevelt,  of  the  Rough  Riders,  started 
the  whole  movement  on  the  left,  which  was  the  first  ad 
vance  of  the  assault." 

The  following  is  taken  from  my  notes  and  was  hastily 
jotted  down  on  the  field:  "The  Rough  Riders  came  in 
line — Colonel  Roosevelt  said  he  would  assault — Taylor 

310 


APPENDIX   E 

joined  them  with  his  troop — McBlain  called  to  Dimmick, 
'  let  us  go,  we  must  go  to  support  them.'  Dimmick  said  all 
right — and  so,  with  no  orders,  we  went  in." 

I  find  many  of  my  notes  are  illegible  from  perspiration. 
My  authority  for  saying  Taylor  went  in  with  you,  'joined 
with  his  troop  '  was  the  word  passed  to  me  and  repeated 
to  Captain  Dimmick  that  Taylor  was  about  to  charge  with 
you.  I  could  not  see  his  troop.  I  have  not  put  it  in  my 
diary,  but  in  another  place  I  have  noted  that  Colonel 
Carrol,  who  was  acting  as  brigade  commander,  told  me  to 
ask  you  if  you  had  any  orders. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

HENRY  ANSON  BARBER, 
Captain  Twenty- Eighth  Infantry, 

(formerly  of  Ninth  Cavalry? 


APPENDIX   F 

HEADQUARTERS  PACIFIC  DIVISION, 

SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL., 

May  1 1,  1905. 

DEAR  MR.  PRESIDENT  :  As  some  discussion  has  arisen 
in  the  public  prints  regarding  the  battle  of  San  Juan,  Cuba, 
July  i,  1898,  and  your  personal  movements  during  that 
day  have  been  the  subject  of  comment,  it  may  not  be  amiss 
in  me  to  state  some  facts  coming  under  my  personal  obser 
vation  as  Commanding  General  of  the  Cavalry  Division, 
of  which  your  regiment  formed  a  part.  It  will,  perhaps, 
be  advisable  to  show  first  how  I  came  to  be  in  command, 
in  order  that  my  statement  may  have  due  weight  as  an  au 
thoritative  statement  of  facts  :  I  was  placed  in  command 
of  the  Cavalry  Division  on  the  afternoon  of  June  3oth  by 
General  Shafter  ;  the  assignment  was  made  owing  to  the 
severe  illness  of  General  Wheeler,  who  was  the  permanent 
commander  of  said  Division.  Brigadier  General  Young, 
who  commanded  the  Second  Cavalry  Brigade,  of  which 
your  regiment — the  First  Volunteer  Cavalry — formed  a 
part,  was  also  very  ill,  and  I  found  it  necessary  to  relieve 
him  from  command  and  place  Colonel  Wood,  of  the  Rough 
Riders,  in  command  of  the  Brigade  ;  this  change  placed 
you  in  command  of  your  regiment. 

The  Division  moved  from  its  camp  on  the  evening  of 
June  3oth,  and  bivouacked  at  and  about  El  Poso.  I  saw 
you  personally  in  the  vicinity  of  El  Poso,  about  8  A.M.,  July 

312 


APPENDIX   F 

i  st.  I  saw  you  again  on  the  road  leading  from  El  Poso  to 
the  San  Juan  River  ;  you  were  at  the  head  of  your  regiment, 
which  was  leading  the  Second  Brigade,  and  immediately 
behind  the  rear  regiment  of  the  First  Brigade.  My  orders 
were  to  turn  to  the  right  at  San  Juan  River  and  take  up  a 
line  along  that  stream  and  try  and  connect  with  General 
Lawton,  who  was  to  engage  the  enemy  at  El  Caney.  On 
reaching  the  river  we  came  under  the  fire  of  the  Spanish 
forces  posted  on  San  Juan  Ridge  and  Kettle  Hill.  The 
First  Brigade  was  faced  to  the  front  in  line  as  soon  as  it 
had  cleared  the  road,  and  the  Second  Brigade  was  ordered 
to  pass  in  rear  of  the  first,  and  face  to  the  front  when  clear 
of  the  First  Brigade.  This  movement  was  very  difficult 
owing  to  the  heavy  undergrowth,  and  the  regiments  became 
more  or  less  tangled  up,  but  eventually  the  formation  was 
accomplished,  and  the  Division  stood  in  an  irregular  line 
along  the  San  Juan  River,  the  Second  Brigade  on  the  right. 
We  were  subjected  to  a  heavy  fire  from  the  forces  on  San 
Juan  Ridge  and  Kettle  Hill ;  our  position  was  untenable, 
and  it  became  necessary  to  assault  the  enemy  or  fall  back. 
Kettle  Hill  was  immediately  in  front  of  the  Cavalry,  and  it 
was  determined  to  assault  that  hill.  The  First  Brigade  was 
ordered  forward,  and  the  Second  Brigade  was  ordered  to 
support  the  attack  ;  personally,  I  accompanied  a  portion  of 
the  Tenth  Cavalry,  Second  Brigade,  and  the  Rough  Riders 
were  to  the  right.  This  brought  your  regiment  to  the  right  of 
the  house  which  was  at  the  summit  of  the  hill.  Shortly  after 
I  reached  the  crest  of  the  hill  you  came  to  me,  accompanied, 
I  think,  by  Captain  C.  J.  Stevens,  of  the  Ninth  Cavalry.  We 
were  then  in  a  position  to  see  the  line  of  intrenchments 
along  San  Juan  Ridge,  and  could  see  Kent"s  Infantry  Divis 
ion  engaged  on  our  left,  and  Hawkins'  assault  against  Fort 
San  Juan.  You  asked  me  for  permission  to  move  forward 


APPENDIX   F 

and  assault  San  Juan  Ridge.  I  gave  you  the  order  in  per 
son  to  move  forward,  and  I  saw  you  move  forward  and 
assault  San  Juan  Ridge  with  your  regiment  and  portions  of 
the  First  and  Tenth  Cavalry  belonging  to  your  Brigade.  I 
held  a  portion  of  the  Second  Brigade  as  a  reserve  on  Kettle 
Hill,  not  knowing  what  force  the  enemy  might  have  in  re 
serve  behind  the  ridge.  The  First  Brigade  also  moved  for 
ward  and  assaulted  the  ridge  to  the  right  of  Fort  San  Juan. 
There  was  a  small  lake  between  Kettle  Hill  and  San  Juan 
Ridge,  and  in  moving  forward  your  command  passed  to 
the  right  of  this  lake.  This  brought  you  opposite  a  house 
on  San  Juan  Ridge — not  Fort  San  Juan  proper,  but  a  frame 
house  surrounded  by  an  earthwork.  The  enemy  lost  a  num 
ber  of  men  at  this  point,  whose  bodies  lay  in  the  trenches. 
Later  in  the  day  I  rode  along  the  line,  and,  as  I  recall  it,  a 
portion  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  was  immediately  about  this 
house,  and  your  regiment  occupied  an  irregular  semi-circu 
lar  position  along  the  ridge  and  immediately  to  the  right  of 
the  house.  You  had  pickets  out  to  your  front ;  and  several 
hundred  yards  to  your  front  the  Spaniards  had  a  heavy 
outpost  occupying  a  house,  with  rifle  pits  surrounding  it. 
Later  in  the  day,  and  during  the  following  day,  the  various 
regiments  forming  the  Division  were  rearranged  and  brought 
into  tactical  formation,  the  First  Brigade  on  the  left  and 
immediately  to  the  right  of  Fort  San  Juan,  and  the  Second 
Brigade  on  the  right  of  the  First.  * 

This  was  the  position  occupied  by  the  Cavalry  Division 
until  the  final  surrender  of  the  Spanish  forces,  on  July  17, 
1898. 

In  conclusion  allow  me  to  say,  that  I  saw  you,  person 
ally,  at  about  8  A.M.,  at  El  Poso  ;  later,  on  the  road  to  San 
Juan  River;  later,  on  the  summit  of  Kettle  Hill,  immedi 
ately  after  its  capture  by  the  Cavalry  Division.  I  saw  you 

3H 


APPENDIX   F 

move  forward  with  your  command  to  assault  San  Juan 
Ridge,  and  I  saw  you  on  San  Juan  Ridge,  where  we  vis 
ited  your  line  together,  and  you  explained  to  me  the  dispo 
sition  of  your  command. 

I  am,  sir,  with  much  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

SAMUEL  S.  SUMNER, 
Major-General  United  States  Army. 


3*5 


APPENDIX  G 

[FROM  a  brief  speech  made  to  his  men  by  Colonel  Roose 
velt  after  Sunday  services  on  September  4,  1898.] 

I  have  waited  this  opportunity  of  speaking  to  you  before 
we  parted.  I  feel,  and  I  know  you  all  feel,  that  we  are  knit 
together  by  ties  that  can  only  be  severed  by  death.  I 
care  much  for  the  officers;  I  care  even  more  for  the  men  who 
make  up  the  rank  and  file.  Our  trials,  our  hardships,  our 
victories,  we  have  all  shared  together,  officers  and  men. 
There  has  been  no  distinction;  we  have  all  worked  for  the 
honor  of  the  regiment.  The  men  who  were  left  in  Florida 
did  their  duty  as  well  as  the  men  who  went  to  Cuba,  and  all 
did  it  without  a  murmur. 

What  we  have  done  only  calls  us  to  renewed  exertion  in  the 
future.  I  know  you  are  not  likely  simply  to  rest  on  your 
laurels.  Life  is  a  constant  struggle,  and  no  man  can  afford 
to  remain  idle,  to  rely  in  the  present  upon  the  deeds  of  an  ever- 
fading  past.  After  the  first  fight  in  Cuba  you  did  not  give 
up  and  rest  on  what  you  had  done.  On  the  contrary,  you 
had  gotten  in  touch  with  the  Spaniards  once,  and  each  one 
of  you  had  registered  a  vow  that  no  one  should  get  ahead  of 
him  the  next  time;  and  accordingly  the  next  time  you  did 
even  better. 

Carry  that  same  sentiment  and  spirit  into  your  life  when 
you  separate  for  your  homes.  Every  man  has  felt  in  the  past 
that  the  honor  of  the  regiment  was  in  his  keeping,  and  that 

316  / 


APPENDIX  G 

he  reflected  honor  or  dishonor  on  all  by  his  own  individual 
acts.  Now,  in  peace,  let  each  of  you  have  the  same  feeling 
for  the  Nation  as  a  whole.  Let  us  so  act  that  at  the  end  of 
twenty  years  those  of  us  who  can  look  back  will  see  that  each 
man  has  prospered,  has  become  a  better  man,  a  better 
American;  that  we  have  shown  ourselves  as  capable  to 
fight  the  battles  of  peace  as  of  war. 

The  world  will  be  kind  to  you  for  about  ten  days;  until 
then  everything  you  do  will  be  considered  right.  After  that 
you  wrill  be  judged  by  a  stricter  code;  and  if  you  prove 
worthless  you  will  be  deemed  to  have  been  spoiled  by  the 
war.  For  just  about  ten  days  you  will  be  overpraised,  over- 
petted;  then  you  will  find  that  the  hero-business  is  over  for 
good  and  all;  and  if  you  try  to  trade  any  longer  on  what  you 
have  done  in  Cuba,  you  will  merely  excite  the  laughter  of 
derision.  You  will  do  well  to  remember  this;  and  each 
turn  to  his  allotted  task  with  all  his  heart  and  strength,  to 
win  success  in  the  only  way  it  can  be  won,  asking  no  consider 
ation  because  of  the  past,  but  demanding  to  be  judged  each 
on  his  merits  in  the  actual  work  of  the  day. 


317 


APPENDIX  G 

[RESPONSE  of  Colonel  Roosevelt  in  accepting  an  eques 
trian  bronze,  Camp  Wikoff,  Montauk  Point,  N.  Y.,  Sep 
tember  13,  1898.] 

OFFICERS  AND  MEN: 

I  really  do  not  know  what  to  say  to  you.  Nothing  could 
possibly  happen  that  would  touch  and  please  me  as  this  has 
touched  and  pleased  me.  Trooper  Murphy  said  rightly 
that  my  men  were  nearest  my  heart,  for  while  I  know  I  need 
not  say  to  my  officers  in  what  a  deep  regard  I  hold  them, 
they  will  not  mind  my  saying  that  just  a  little  bit  closer  come 
the  men.  I  have  never  tried  to  coddle  you  and  have  never 
hesitated  to  call  upon  you  to  spend  your  best  blood  like 
water.  But  of  course  I  tried  to  do  all  I  could  for  you,  and 
you  are  the  best  judges  as  to  whether  I  have  succeeded  or  not. 

I  am  proud  of  this  regiment  beyond  measure.  I  am  proud 
of  it  because  it  is  a  typical  American  regiment.  The 
foundation  of  the  regiment  was  the  cowpuncher,  and  we 
have  him  here  in  bronze.  No  gift  could  have  been  so 
appropriate  as  this  bronze  by  Frederic  Remington.  The 
men  of  the  West  and  Southwest,  horsemen,  riflemen,  and 
herders,  have  been  the  backbone  of  this  regiment,  which 
demonstrates  that  Uncle  Sam  has  another  reserve  of  fighting 
men  to  call  upon,  if  the  necessity  arises.  The  West  stands 
ready  to  give  tens  of  thousands  of  men  like  you,  and  we  are 
only  samples  of  the  fighters  the  West  can  put  forth. 

Besides  the  cowpuncher,  this  regiment  contained  men 
from  every  section  of  the  country,  every  State  in  the  Union, 
and  because  of  that  we  feel  proud  of  it.  It  is  primarily  an 
American  regiment,  and  it  is  American  because  it  is  com 
posed  of  all  the  races  which  have  made  America  their 
country  by  adoption  and  those  who  have  claimed  it  as  their 
country  by  inheritance.  It  gives  me  extreme  pleasure  to 

318 


APPENDIX  G 

look  around  among  you  and  see  men  of  every  occupation, 
men  of  means  and  men  who  work  with  their  hands  for  a 
livelihood,  and  at  the  same  time  know  that  I  have  you  for 
friends.  You  are  men  of  widely  different  pursuits,  yet  you 
stand  here  side  by  side;  you  fought  shoulder  to  shoulder. 
No  man  asked  quarter  for  himself,  and  each  one  went  in  to 
show  that  he  was  as  good  as  his  neighbor.  It  shows  the 
American  spirit.  You  cannot  imagine  how  proud  I  am 
of  your  friendship  and  regard. 

I  have  also  a  profound  respect  for  you,  because  you  have 
fighting  qualities,  and  because  you  had  the  qualities  which 
enabled  us  to  get  you  into  the  fight.  Outside  of  my  own 
immediate  family,  as  I  said  before,  I  shall  never  know  as 
strong  ties  as  with  you.  I  am  more  than  pleased  that  you 
feel  the  same  way  toward  me.  I  realized  when  I  took  charge 
of  you  that  I  was  taking  upon  myself  a  great  responsibility.  I 
cared  for  you  as  individuals,  but  did  not  forget  that  at  any 
moment  it  might  be  necessary  to  sacrifice  the  individual  for 
the  whole.  You  would  have  scorned  a  commander  who 
would  have  hesitated  to  expose  you  to  any  risk.  I  was 
bound  that  no  other  regiment  should  get  any  nearer  to  the 
Spanish  lines  than  you  got,  and  I  do  not  think  any  did. 

We  parted  with  many  in  the  fight  who  could  ill  be  spared, 
and  I  think  that  the  most  vivid  memories  that  we  take 
away  with  us  will  be  of  those  whom  we  left  under  Cuban 
sod  and  those  who  died  in  hospitals  here  in  the  United 
States — the  men  who  died  from  wounds,  and  the  men  who, 
with  the  same  devotion  to  country,  died  from  disease.  I 
cannot  mention  all  the  names  now,  but  those  of  Capron, 
O'Neill,  and  Fish  will  serve.  They  were  men  who  died  in 
the  pride  of  their  youthful  strength. 

Now,  just  a  word  more  I  want  to  say  to  some  of  the  men 
I  see  standing  around  not  of  your  number.  I  refer  to  the 

319 


APPENDIX  G 

troopers  of  the  regular  cavalry  regiments;  the  white  troop 
ers;  and  the  colored  troopers.  The  latter  the  Spaniards 
called  "smoked  Yankees,"  but  we  found  them  to  be  an  ex 
cellent  breed  of  Yankee.  I  am  sure  that  I  speak  the  senti 
ments  of  every  man  and  officer  in  this  assemblage  when  I 
say  that  between  you  and  the  other  cavalry  regiments  there 
is  a  tie  which  we  trust  will  never  be  broken. 

I  would  have  been  deeply  touched  if  the  officers  had 
given  me  this  testimonial,  but  coming  from  you,  my  men, 
I  appreciate  it  tenfold.  It  comes  to  me  from  you  who  shared 
the  hardships  of  the  campaign  with  me;  who  gave  me  a 
piece  of  your  hardtack  when  I  had  none;  and  who  shared 
with  me  your  blankets  when  I  had  none  to  lie  upon.  To 
have  such  a  gift  come  from  this  peculiarly  American  regi 
ment  touches  me  more  than  I  can  say.  This  is  something  I 
shall  hand  down  to  my  children,  and  I  shall  value  it  more 
than  I  do  the  weapons  I  carried  through  the  campaign. 


320 


14  DAY  USE 

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